The Skyrim Mysteries Iceberg (Part 1)
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2022
- Skyrim and the game's many mysteries have been a staple topic of this channel for over half a decade now. In that time, we've built an encyclopedia of unexplained Elder Scrolls 5 phenomenon that not even the brightest minds in the community have been able to unravel. Today, we begin what will likely be a three-part journey to compile Skyrim's many mysterious details into an iceberg.
- Hry
If you have any theories/mysteries you think definitely deserve to be in the iceberg, leave a comment so I’ll be sure to get to it. I already have a pretty giant Skyrim mysteries list but I want to make sure everything’s included 🫡
im so glad you posted! my day has been made as it always is when you post!
spectral animals
imagine the dragons actually trying to give you answers to the mysteries, but their explanations come off as aggressive combat shouts.
The friend is the ebony warrior.
Would love if you did some more fallout 4 content. I used to live those vids so much! But keep up the great work!
Bros signed his life to being a Skyrim Lord of Lore
The vati of Skyrim
@lShowSрееd shorts 🅥 not as long as mine though
It’s just bro. One dude. :)
hey that's me
Same but I make no money from it
Maiq actually does say things of relevance. For example, when he says Skyrim was once a land of many butterflies, he's referrin to a bug in the early stages of Skyrim's production where butterflies would overspawn so much that they'd lag out the game.
Or how he says that the people of Skyrim are more beautiful than the people of Cyrodiil, which is likely referencing the fact that Oblivions characters looked hilariously hideous.
In Morrowind he has dialogue that is 100% relevant and true, it’s the initiating rumour for a Daedric quest. The volume of lies from him basically obscures that sometimes he’s useful.
@@baronofbahlingen9662 also, Maiq's lies are.. well... sometimes only lies from an in-universe perspective.
How could a layer 1 be this lacking in detail, and also Sybille’s (sp) dialogue if you choose to block the sun out as a vampire
Maiq is lying about his name stating that he's a liar he's telling the truth. Edit: Sorry had a typo
“And M’aiq…..IS A LIAR” is probably one of my favorite quotes from all Nate’s videos 😂
Hahahaha that’s hilarious… I love M’aiq The Liar so much!!! He’s one of my favorite characters! 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️🐱🐱🐱✨✨✨
he said the same exact thing about Deacon in the fallout video
I love Maiq. I see him as an archetypal Wise Fool character. ‘Maiq is a liar’ is that classic self referencing paradox. If he is a liar then his statement is false but then that means he isn’t a liar, but if he isn’t a liar then his statement that he is a liar is correct ad so on.
@mirandelf you're looking way too much into this
The Elder Scrolls are the games themselves. Elder Scrolls are a mix of chronicle and prophesy. They typically detail times when Nirn will face great challenges and the deeds of heroes to overcome those challenges. Before the fulfillment of the prophesy, the Scrolls contain every possible outcome or variation of the future that might be. It is only after the prophesy is fulfilled that the Scrolls become fixed and immutable. But the Scrolls change depending on who reads them. And whatever the reader reads becomes the true history of Tamriel. The dragon Parthuurnax describes them as fragments of creation.
When we play the games, we are both reading and writing one of the Scrolls. We are transported to a time and place in Tamriel where a great challenge arises. We follow the adventures of a great hero to overcome those challenges. Whenever we read one of the Scrolls by playing the game, we look into all of the possible futures that might be and create a version of the prophesy that is. And because the Scrolls can change with each reading, anyone who plays the game creates their own version of the prophesy. All of which becomes Tamriel's reality.
Yooooooo
I absolutely love this
Oh my God... This is incredible. Also criminally underrated imo
I think you’ve reached an understanding of chim
love this theory
I was honestly expecting a mystery on the actual physical icebergs of skyrim and i was entirely ready to watch it
I'd watch that also
Lmfaooo me too😂 I was ready to learn some suit and go explore the icebergs too 😂😂😂
Like why is Hermauos Mora hanging out in a random iceberg that has a random Dwemer vault in it? How’d the vault get there? Why does it require elf blood to open? If it requires the blood of a Dwemer, what does that say about the rest of the elves who’s combination of blood tricks the machine?
ay lmao
@@bigredwolf6those questions are actually answered if you play that quest 🤦🏻
About the Ebony Warrior being able to shout; It *is* explained in-game that normal people can shout, but it takes a lot of time and dedication to training. Ulfric Stormcloak can shout as well, and used it when he killed Toryyg.
also a bit of trivia, although guards will tell you ulfric shouted him apart he actually only knocked him down with the shout, he actually killed him with his sword
There’s also the countless Draugr that are itching to rag doll you with Fus
@@immasword Yeah, that piece of guard dialog was added to increase the aesthetic of general fear of magic or really any sort of power that exists in Tamriel
@@immasword I never knew that, huh. Thanks!
bro just stated the most well known entry level loading screen story of the game as a "well did you know?"
The interesting thing about Saadia is that while the mercenaries claim they intend to bring her back to Hammerfell for a fair trial, if you turn her in to them, you can later track them down to find them heading back to Hammerfell without her. After that you'll find Saadia has an urn dedicated to her in Whiterun's Hall of the Dead.
She deserves it, thalmor scum
Good catch!
Apparently that's due to an oversight. Because she's part of the Whiterun faction, her ashes appear in the Hall of the Dead since she was "despawned" from the gameworld. And honestly, if they killed her, why would they return her ashes to Whiterun lol.
Where and how can you track them down? I've heard about the urn and how it might be a developer oversight, but not that you can find them without her. Would change alot
That's an oversight by Bethesda
11:51
Perhaps the letter from a friend was authored by the Ebony Warrior himself? Maybe he wants to see you grow into the hero so that he can have a real challenge when the time is right to reveal himself to you.
Ebony Warrior wasn’t added until the Dragonborn DLC if I remember correctly. So it couldn’t be him because you get the letters without having the DLC, but I guess you could stretch it and say “he’s been traveling Tamriel and didn’t get to Skyrim until later on.”
I always thought it was just Delphine and they didn’t code it to change after you met her.
Honestly? I was always certain that the Greybeards were behind those letters
I believe the letter comes from the high elf faction (forgot the name) so that the dragonborn can take his rightful place on the throne. That sounds like a bad idea at first but if you think about it, some nord nincompoop on the throne is easier to manipulate then a person thats been groomed to lead and strategize.
Fantastic theory Renaissance Man!!
Considering he was added with the Dragonborn DLC the theory is unlikely but it would certainly explain the letters. Ima believe this is canon just because it fits so well in the lore aspect
The fact this series will be multiple parts brings me happiness because it means you’ll be (hopefully) uploading more often
quality over quantity friend
@@Holytoaster I know man and Nate always brings the quality, but it’s like years between videos at this point.
I hope he uploads once every 5 months.
@@Holytoaster indeed
@@kyleisbart9042 I think he's just been focusing on his life which I can totally respect. I dont know about you but I don't want him to rehash the same video 12 times like fudgemuppet lol.
This channel is the definition of quality over quantity, comes back every few months to drop another banger. Keeps my love for Skyrim alive.
Edit: I know he used to make a lot more videos a lot more frequently, if that were still the case I wouldn't have commented about quality over quantity. Point is, he doesn't anymore. I say quality over quantity because his source material for content is basically drained and it is probably a lot harder to keep up the quality of his videos now but he somehow has at the cost of his old rate of pushing out videos.
He had quantity too, there just isn't anything more left to discover in Skyrim.
True stuff everytime I think Nate is gone for good he drops again lmao
I just hope he can explain the mysteries of TES 6 just as well when it's released.
@@matej4220 "wE diScoVeReD tHE leaDEr oF thE GReYbEaRD'
@ProLumbo ".... quality over quantity, AND comes back every few months to drop another banger.." You can't just stuff a comma into a sentence without using conjunctions.This ain't English grammar class, sure, but it annoys me when I see this kind of thing done very often.
Has anyone thought that the letter from a friend could be from Hermaeus Mora? Because with his desire for knowledge, and wanting you to overtake Mirraak he could be giving you a message to make you stronger
Really late to the party but that was my thought as well Mora had access to such knowledge and would make sense that he would want a thriving powerful dragonborn to replace Miraak as his champion. Also when doing the main questline Mora put himself directly in your path when getting the elder scroll to learn Dragonrend, so he was watching the Dragonborn well before the final DLC.
I feel that it could be a daedra or a divine, but the bit about Miraak doesn't make sense, since these letters happened before the Dragonborn dlc
I used to think it was esbern
I think os the ebony Warrior, he can shout and maybe wants the player to be strong to fight him later? Or maybe just help.. idk
@@Usonan-Foderation2016why does it matter that it happened before the DLC? I don't see that as a valid argument
With the black reach dragon, you did mention that a chime goes off. And this is a dwarven ruin. Could it have been a summon with some sort of tonal magic?
That would track quite heavily
I could see the Dwarves trying to study dragons to learn how they work, especially their immortality that seemingly has 0 drawbacks unlike Vampirism.
Like the tonal magic was how they got him there in the first place maybe? Dragon magic is heavily reliant on their voices, to the point *shouting their names* can summon them. Dwarves could've found a way to get him down there through that + tonal magic.
I'd even go as far as to say the Dwarves may have been messing around with more than just Lorkhan's heart
@@LordWeems or he was possibly born or created by the Dwemer in Black Reach. In that way the Dwemer wouldn’t have had to use magic or Thu’um to get him there.
Perhaps he was in black reach *before* the dwemmer?
I think its possible that they took the dragon into blackreach after it had already died and when alduin resurrected the dragons in present skyrim time, that happened to this specific one too but it was just trapped underground now.
13:17 i feel like the “friend” is actually the ebony warrior, explains the connection to them being able to shout and knowing where thuum walls are, and maybe he wants to help make the dragonborn stronger so they can become a worthy foe
I like this
That has always been my headcannon.
Okay this is my official favorite theory
Do you still get letters after he's dead?
@@michaelmooney5246 Yes.
I heard "Soul Karen" instead of "Soul Cairn" and now I feel like we missed out on a quest where Valerica demands to see the Ideal Masters' manager
😆
Underappreciated comment.
I also keep hearing "Karen"
He's always said Cairn as Karen instead. I've been hearing it from him for years now, he always adds that extra syllable to it in his videos
I love this lmao
19:00 In the game "Battlespire," where the Soul Cairn was introduced, you can communicate with the Ideal Masters. In fact, you can communicate with most everyone, including basically all enemies.
You Maiq?
@@cowsmoon5115 If M'aiq was M'aiq, M'aiq would lie about it, no?
@@jagnestormskull3178but if maiq was not maiq would maiq lie about being maiq
@@justinmckee2256 "then M'aiq is retarded"
Miaq has clearly achieved chim and has just decided to wander the world with his meta knowledge
Miaq
Have a Fishy Stick!
He’s Lorkhan just out lorkhaning around
It's M'aiq not Miaq
Note for the Ebony Warrior, It's stated in the lore that Shouting isn't just reserved for the Dovahkiin or the Greybeards. Anyone can do it but for a normal person, it'll take YEARS to master ONE shout. Plus the Ebony Warrior isnt the only NPC who can shout that isnt Greybeard or Dragonborn. Ulfric can too and he's neither. He trained with the Greybeards for a majority of his life before moving to lead the Stormcloak Rebellion.
I think the same thing when people bring that up about the Ebony Warrior. It's brought up in the game in conversation a few times I think.
Pretty sure he's the character from the story Redguard
@@iantaran2843 Cyrus? That’d be hella interesting.
"Only dragons, the Dragonborn and the Greybeard can use shouts"
Ulfric: "Am I a joke to you?"
Draugrs: "I guess we didn't hear that right either"
All Nord heroes: "Maybe he hit his head, or something"
If my memory of Skyrim's story and lore aren't too rusted out, I have some clarifications to add to that statement. Keep in mind, my memory sucks, so if anyone has reliable information that contradicts mine, I myself would probably favor that as well. To the best of my ability, here it is:
When he says that shouts are thought to be reserved for the dragonborn and the Greybeards, he's not entirely wrong. If not accounting for entities currently residing in a state of unlife, or who are just straight up dead, the Greybeards ARE the only ones who can use shouts aside from dragons, of either the born or created/resurrected variety. Ulfric, if I recall right, was training under the Greybeards toward the ultimate goal of BECOMING one of them, but dropping out half way through because war. This does indeed enrich the mystery of the Ebony Warrior, because it then, if critically analyzed, makes you question; is this a previous dropout Greybeard? A case of learn and leave? Absorb and abscond? Study and 'seeya later, buddy'?
It IS, in the main playable time period, an oddity amongst living humanoid NPCs, to be able to shout, which is why a vast majority of NPCs are surprised or amazed when you go around screaming dragon magic around them.
Not really a theory or an answer, but I find it interesting that the Dwemer, who enslaved the Snow Elves and turn them into the blind Falmer, are also interested in decoding Elder Scrolls, which have been known to blind people who view them too much. Maybe they used the Falmer as 'stunt readers' who would read the scrolls, transcribe or dictate the contents, then they were blinded, leaving their bosses the Dwemer with the information, and working eyesight :)
That's pretty genius actually. It's officially in my head canon now. Thank you
That's an interesting theory but I think it is unlikely, because in the main questline you have to obtain an Elder Scroll from a Dwemer Contraption, Which I think they used the lenses on it to transcribe the information on a Lexicon like the one you have to interact with, by the buttons that control the machine. Still I could be wrong but I like your theory a lot too.
Cool theory... but dont you find out in game that the dwemer poisoned them with mushrooms or something?
The Dwemer had no such problems reading the Elder Scrolls. They just constructed a device to safely read Elder Scrolls. You can see it in Skyrim, when you enter Blackreach to get the Dragon Elder Scroll.
The getting blinded by an Elder Scroll thing, is just what happens to normal stupid mortals (aka every playable race in the main line Elder Scrolls games). Not geniuses like the Dwemer.
@Chilly Yes, they were refugees. And the Dwemer used that to their own advantage and enslaved the refugees.
Sybille doesn't have to be evil, she could easily be a neutral vampire much like Janus Hassildor in Oblivion.
And to follow up on this, she likely DIDN’T find anything while scrying because of how powerful the Wolf Queen is
@@samuteelor she used to serve her
23:00 there are some clues as to why sadia is a traitor. Kematu does't attack you first but rather tries to talk and explains fully the story from his side. Sadia will evasively answer the questions as to why she is being chased. The lines that Kematu says at the moment of capturing also suggest that Sadia is a traitor. There is probably more that i forgot, but you get my point.
I love how excited everyone gets whenever Nate posts. It's so endearing. We've got a great community.
Totally read my mind! I agree! I love reading the comments every video he uploads! :)
Well I've grown to like him, I worry when he's gone for a while.
@@DespairDoctor Honestly, same. It's nice to know he's okay. Or seems to be.
@@Elmirien1977 yeah.
He's just a great youtuber
As was foretold, the return of the hero of Skyrim!
CZcams still doing nothing about these bots
@@bluesap7318 bro they're probably paying for them lmao
It’s Nate here
There once was a hero named Nate the Epic, who posted videos on CZcams about ol' Skyrim
Yo 🔥czcams.com/video/rdJ9bsN7JAw/video.html
.
What if the Heart of Lorkhan had the same properties as Azura's Star, having it's own plane of existence. So instead of what happened to Arniel when he struck the soul gem with Keening, what if when Kagrenac struck it, it sent out a burst of power that trapped all of the Dwemer on Nirn inside.
I definitely like this theory.
I've always liked the theory that is was in their pursuit of new powerful tonal magic that explains why it was so sudden and included everyone. Except one apparently. And I like to think they all live on a new dimensional type plane just out of our view. If I was better at making mods the answer would exist in-game. But in the end for the lore's sake I like that they left the mystery unsolved.
I've always preferred the theory that they were sent so far ahead in time that their scientific advancements are irrelevant and they're almost at the bottom of the food chain in terms of intelligence and scientific advancements. That's a fitting punishment for them imo
I just had a thought about Sybille Stentor. Maybe she said that her scrying suggested nothing in the area, not for nefarious reasons, but to protect any soldiers or guards anc explain why she didn't try to hinder the Dragonborn. Maybe she did in fact realize there were necromancers there and lied to Elisif about it to prevent the soldiers or guards from being slaughtered by the necromancers, but figuring someone like the Dragonborn could handle them, so she doesn't try to hinder you when you go to investigate.
It also could be that the necromancers and Potema were too strong for her scrying. Stentor is a master mage, but Potema is on another level
After you defeat Potema, & her skull has been consecrated, Sybille retires from court, she can no longer be found anywhere but her chambers, in her bed.
It’s as if she’s been weakened by you cutting off potemas link to Solitude
At the very end of the iceberg: Nate has just acquired the knowledge of all the elder scrolls and knows everything.
and then vanishes
at the end of the iceberg: why he vanished for a year just to talk about the ebony warrior and then leave for half a year JAJA
I hope he doesn't zero sum like the dwemmer. 😄
So basically, CHIM
He made a deal with Hermaus Mora
If I remember correctly, Runil's Diary also foretells what is going on when you first enter Falkreach, as when you first enter someone is being buried, like foretold in the journal. I always thought that's the true reason why he wanted it back. So he could go over the dream again. Really compare what would come back to him vs our character.
Prophecy everywhere in Skyrim.
With blackreach it’s quite possible the Dwemer discovered a dragon burial mound and began studying the remains, then when alduin returned the dragon was resurrected and trapped underground. However alduin has to go to the burial mounds to resurrect the dragons so another possibility is the Dwemer learned how to harness the power of the dragon tongue. This would line up with why you have to shout at the “sun” in order to summon the dragon
Underrated comment. I have a theory that the "tonal architecture" the dwemer used was just a form of Thu'um they managed to use without speaking the Dragon tongue.
Wow to both comments 💖
@@Gorg1 that's a backwards theory. The thuum is tonal, not the other way around. That's... kind of the point, my friend.
@@iami3rian394 If the thu'um is tonal that means something tonal can be thu'um? Basic logic
@@Gorg1 all rectangles aren't squares, my dude. It's called the contrapositive.
The Psijic Order is a large part of the main story in the Summerset expansion of ESO from the hidden island of Artaeum. While not given any answer to this Skyrim mystery, it could be implied the Eye of Magnus was something the Psijic Order was hunting for as they are sort of like an Elder Scrolls "X-Files" group searching for mysterious magical artifacts. They were also the precursor to the Mages Guild.
Uurag's description of the Elder Scrolls following that response clarifies how the scrolls relate to the series in a cool way. "They're a record of all possible pasts and all possible futures." In other words, they mirror how the series itself presents an infinite number of possible pasts for whatever characters we make, and an infinite number of possible futures defined by the choices they make. That's why they're the series' namesake. :)
Coooooooool!!
Urag with one u, right
@@incognitoman3656 : Right... I have this weird feeling like I'm mixing the spelling of his name up with someone in particular, but I can't think of who. XD
@@theoaremevano3227 WoW??
I like to think it's some kind of eldritch entity that's so alien and incomprehensible that wants to interact but can't due to how puny and non-ethereal mortals are. A scroll is pretty simple though, you can pick it up, read it, and more importantly seal it back so that it's not an endless font of cosmic chaos. In universe that is. In game they're unfortunately just the ultra plot device.
@@lucamckenn5932 they were created before anything else, and the only thing we can link them to is the Godhead.
Some theorists think the Elder Scrolls themselves could be sentient, but we can’t - and probably will never be able to - find this out
I always thought the Ebony Warrior was just the Dovahkiin from the future. He's lived a long life, helping the citizens of Tamriel with their problems and he's finally sick of it all, so he uses some Dragon Shout or maybe an Elder Scroll to seek out the only person who could defeat him...himself.
That’s a cool theory
But why is he a red guard that's the question because as per teases lore by Bethesda Last dragon is nord. But ebony boii is red guard.
@@arvindraghavan403 Maybe he's doing black face :)
@@knightr0685 💀💀💀
Seeing as he's always a Redguard and always male, and is physically larger even than a Redguard character at max height, that's not possible. It's much more likely that he learned to shout the same way Ulfric did, the long and difficult way. That, or he's a Dragon Preist who has lived for a VERY long time thanks to a pact with a Daedra.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the oddest thing related to Rorikstead. Unless Ragnar the Red is a newer song, there's no way Rorik could've been the one the town is named after unless he's even older than he appears.
That’s a really good catch, and one I forget often.
I think its one of those folk songs where you’re expected to change the lyrics to the local area. A common thing bards worth thier salt would do.
Or its just a newer song
I still like to think that the ebony warrior is Tsun, based on the conversation you can have with him in Sovngarde. And the pen pal is Partysnax. He's the one meditating on the words, on their power. He knows best what damage they can do - and what good can be achieved. He helps the dragonborn to meditate on the words und understand how to navigate the path to knowledge. I am fascinated with the frequency of things happening that you mention. M'aiq is a "normal" sight for me, has not even that extended dialogue; the assassins come at least 3 times before I kill Astrid (I wonder if it has to do with me being on Switch, there are SO many things that never happen on my playthroughs, that happen on PC). Given that the Kahjiit have a "Dragonborn" storyline as well, he could maybe be the embodiment (and might be the mysteries friend!) from that part of the Elder Scrolls. Argh! I need to stop watching your videos - they always spiral me into a rabbit hole!
Little known fact about Sybille: if you clear out Wolfskull Cave before going to the Blue Palace, she'll actually berate the Dragonborn, saying that it would've sorted itself out on its own. Also, her sleeping all the time after that quest is a bug, not a feature.
The bugs a feature bitchhh! I'm so sorry I had to lmfao 😂😅
Cool bug
@@No1gamer young scrolls fan? 🤣
@@anemptyspace hell yeah bruh!
@@No1gamer noice, high five bruh 🖐️
So Paarthurnax says that Elder Scrolls are “artifacts from outside of time. It does not exist, but always has existed. Ray wahlann (Gods of Creation). They are… fragments of creation”. It is a dialog you can get when receiving the quest to get the Elder Scroll.
I loved that line. It's the best way of saying, "It's a Mcguffin, get over it"
@@andrewbrown1095 "what are Elder Scrolls?"
"Magical Bullshit that you absolutely need. Go get the Mcguffin- I mean scroll."
I've always thought that the "Letters from a Friend" were written either by, Miraak, or more likely, the Ebony Warrior. I lean more towards the Ebony Warrior, due to the fact that, after you've presumably found all the Shouts and have accomplished everything, he comes and challenges you. With that said, it then makes sense that, Miraak is the one performing the Black Sacrament and wanting the Dovakiin dead, considering he believes himself to be the True Dragonborn and everything about him is all about getting rid of you.
I think maven blaclbriar is the one trying to assasinate the dragonborn
Why would he send assassin before sending is actual goon tho is goon only spawn at lvl 5 and the assassin at lvl 1 why would miraak send assassin when nobody know you are the dragonborn yet
Not sure if anyone's mentioned this already but in ESO in Crow's Wood you can find a flute which has an inscription saying "A gift from M'aiq to his son, M'aiq."
40:20 For anyone wondering. The Draugr enemy Curalmil who was introduced in the Skyrim Ae Addon is actually a normal Draugr. He only appears as a dragon priest when your character had a high level. As a dragon priest they used a standard model so he does not have a mask. But hes only a dragon priest when hes scaling with your level so technically nate is right and the Jailer is in fact the only dp without a mask
or at least the only one not WEARINg his mask.. BUN dun DUNHHHHHH!!!!
@@marhawkman303 best headgear in the game looks and function wise
technicallythetruth
Curamil was in the base game also Red Eagle could spawn as another named dragon priest. Just requires White Phial quest to be named. On your second point yes, many of the base game dungeons could have dragon priests as dungeon bosses once you were level 50. AE added Ancient Deathpriest which are completely different undead.
@@solarpraetor ?
I found the Black Reach dragon my very first playthough back in 2011. I saw the big hanging sun thing, and wanted to see if it would swing if I shouted at it. The dragon spawning into the poorly lit underground cavern was terrifying
Same, except my first play through was 2020
literally same 😂 first time i did it i didnt even know THATS what triggered the dragon to come out lol. i thought it was just lurking in the shadows and my shouting pissed it off
Nate, I have been playing Skyrim since it came out, and your videos are outstanding. It literally boogles my mind the information you have covered in the books, but I digress and can just say, I am always happy to see you name attached to a new topic! Thanks!!
Finally getting round to fully watching these Iceberg videos and I am already so in love with them. Awesome work as always Nate! 👌
HYRULE GAMER ????
WHAT A CROSSOVER
Maiq is in reference to developer issues. Every one of Maiqs quotes deal with something in the game. For example when he says how he doesn't care where the snow goes, it's probably in reference to how snow doesn't melt it just sits. The other part he talks about is all the butterflies. At one point earlier and development it was easier to have more butterflies around the player but due to limitations they were cut. At some point he also talks about how there's no more calipers. All the calipers were removed from the game going from Oblivion to Skyrim.
As for the ruined word walls, it could be that Alduin purposely destroyed them to protect his meteor shout.
of all shouts we've seen in the game if I'm not wrong that's the only one we can't access, which makes perfect sense if what you're turns out to be true
I could see it.
@@tsuchii2267 there's also alduin's dragon resssurection shout,and miraak's instant dragon killing shout
@@lukelblitz3627 to be fair, Miraaks insta-dragon-killer shout has 4 words, meaning it's sophistication is probably far beyond even Alduins
Could miraak's mask be vahlock's. Miraak may have stolen it and hermuas mora might hive corrupted it, which could explain why miraak's mask looks like a dragon priest mask but with tentacles
Cool theory!
Maybe it's why he's trapped within apocrytha instead of using the black books to get out.
Questing in a foreign realm of Oblivion is slang for, "I was in the shitter when it happened."
0:00 - Intro
2:18 - Dwemer Disappearance (Tier 1)
4:24 - Bugs In Jars (Tier 1)
6:49 - The Ebony Warrior (Tier 1)
8:38 - The Town of Winterhold (Tier 1)
10:13 - The Village of Rorikstead (Tier 1)
11:50 - Letter From a Friend (Tier 1)
13:30 - What Are The Elder Scrolls (Tier 1)
15:15 - Dark Brotherhood Assassin's Note (Tier 1)
17:13 - The Ruler of Soul Cairn (Tier 1)
19:31 - What Exactly Happen To The Falmer (Tier 1)
21:46 - Curious Case of Saadia's Identity (Tier 1)
23:40 - M'aiq The Liar (Tier 1)
27:08 - Blackreach Dragon (Tier 1)
29:29 - Transition from Tier 1 to Tier 2
30:01 - Curious Case of Sybille Stentor (Tier 2)
33:17 - The Skyforge (Tier 2)
35:35 - The Eye of Magnus (Tier 2)
39:08 - Vahlok The Jailor (Tier 2)
41:33 - The Night Mother (Tier 2)
44:19 - The Greybeards' Age (Tier 2)
45:38 - Runil's Journal (Tier 2)
48:54 - The Lost Continents (Tier 2)
51:55 - The Ancient Dragonborn (Tier 2)
52:57 - Nirnroot (Tier 2)
54:42 - Sun's Death Event (Tier 2)
56:26 - Heimskr's Home (Tier 2)
57:22 - Sleeping Tree Camp (Tier 2)
1:00:24 - Eternally Lit Candle In Windhelm's Candlehearth Hall (Tier 2)
1:01:52 - The Blank Word Walls (Tier 2)
1:03:30 - Outro
👍
Hell yeah brother
and which is the ufo in the title card?
@@SenketsuFi that’s the click bait section
@@hectorlumbagoCringe im sad now
My favorite theory about the greybeards living so long is that they are pseudo dragon priests to Paarthurnax thus granting them longer lives.
Aren't the dragon priests Liches?
@@kkkk-uh1cu They are now but they were originally given power and (I believe?) a longer lifespan by the dragons they followed.
@@Dark_shadow4056 through the masks they wore, right? The greybeards don't have any special items on them. I haven't heard about longer life before. One of them was possibly a vampire, though. Who knows how they achieved what in which order. Maybe they could consume lifespans /before/ becoming liches. I wouldn't know.
Though, one can invent a new form of deference to a dragon to start with. Alduin can raise the dead through their souls. Who says what Paarthurnax could be doing, even if it's not his teachings they follow?
Sure, the greybeards have long lives, but it isn't that long. They occasionally recruit and train new Greybeards. For example, Ulfric was supposed to become a Greybeard until he ran off.
@@kkkk-uh1cu they were living humans... a few millenia ago, when Dragon Cult was a thing.
I like the theory that M’aiq is actually a Kajit trickster deity called “The Cat Who Walks”. It would explain the immorality, including the shifting appearance, as well as the wandering and lying.
Another interesting coincidence about how dragon shouts are related to tonal magic and the dwarves! With the dragon aspect shout you're basically conjuring this ancient dragonborn. And this is not the only time this happens. In Sovngard, you also learn the "call hero" shout to have a nord hero to come and aid you. Now it seems to me that the first nords were much closer with the dwemer than what we know.
And the dragon cult's presense even in blackreach seems to emerge concidering you meet that dragon down there.
I have an interpretation of the blank word walls: they're blank memorials. Almost all of the word walls in the game are epitaphs written to honor the loss of someone important. It's likely that these blank ones are walls that where built, but never filled in because no one of import died before the dragon war ended.
Tldr: It's a tombstone that someone reserved
My personal theory is the dragon would fill his wall as a vessel until alduin or a fellow dova came to return their soul. And it sorta explains how alduin was able to force rez a dragon
Who would have guessed ancient Nords were forward-looking bureaucrats?
There's also a few that are simple advice/directives, like the Word Wall for Nah, Fury, being Oblivion hath no fury like shield-maiden scorned.
It could’ve been dragonrend but I have literally no evidence to back this up
Or Bethesda just left them unfinished, usually the simplest answer is the correct one most of the time.
I love how Nate was looking at the wrong candle the entire time during the Candlehearth section, she literally says "above the fireplace" and you see the actual candle at 1:01:51.
“After 10 years, I still didn’t find out the right candle in Windhelm”
love these videos. I took a long break from Skyrim, around 2 years (that’s pretty long for me) I remembered Nate’s channel yesterday and man and I’m happy I found him again. he’s my go to guy for lore and Skyrim videos. he hasn’t disappointed me yet. keep it up Nate !!
I thought due to the fact that I have watched every single of your videos and also a lot of other skyrim/TES CZcamsrs contents on mysteries, there couldn't be anything in the top 2 sections, that I at least haven't heard of. But the whole tree sap thing and the flying city (does anybody else find it weirdly suspicious that the island and this mysterious sword connected to the ebony warrior share the same name? no? just me?) was entirely new to me! I somehow never encountered this thing in all my hundreds of hours in skyrim (alas I usually keep from giant camps as far as I can so...) and I also never read those books... and you also refreshened my memory of some of the other mysteries. Great video!
you know it's gonna be good when the first 2 tiers of an iceberg is an hour long
You’re goddamn right
14:23 Paarthanax actually did explain why the Elder Scroll was needed. It was that Elder scroll that was used to fling Alduin into time. That created a rip in space, where Alduin emerged from several thousand years later, and that the Dovakin using the same scroll can briefly look back in time to those events.
SCP note. That was the cherry on top of this video! Love it! Your videos are fantastic and your voice personality is on point, sir! Keep up the amazing work! Thank you for doing so much work to produce these!
I don’t watch you as much, but I hope this career has you set real good you definitely deserve it, I was there a long time ago on other accounts and I always loved your videos. Great work man
Again, rewatching this video a month lter, you DESERVE great wealth, I hope you don’t need to save for shit I hope your stylin living the life, you’ve earned it with all the entertainment you’ve given us
In ESO, if you travel to the zone "Stonefalls" and enter the public dungeon "Crow's wood", which leads you to the daedric evergloam realm, you can find a flute(?). When you examine it you can read that it is apparantly "a gift from M'aiq to his son, M'aiq". So this is another example of father and son being called M'aiq.
ah nice! so they're all descendants then sweet :)
so he wasn’t lying about m’aiq’s father being named m’aiq
When you realise that M'aiq is the Alex Jones of Nirn it makes these cute stuff even cuter
26:53 To mention from ESO, there's a flute once belongs to a M'aiq in the dungeon Crow's Wood, activated reads "A gift from M'aiq to his son, M'aiq."
M'aiq's name is probably a family traditional name, compared to the Johnny family name from the Metal Gear franchise.
Hmm too bad you can't give it to m'aiq then as a little side interaction with him.
this guy is a legend he was the one that got me into skyrim lore and now i want to learn more by watching his videos. what a legend
Seriously!!! I appreciate what you do!!! All of it. I've watched and listened to everything!! You are the Epic Nate
I am shocked how much content you can make on one game's mysteries. Respect 👍
I think my favorite interpretation of what the Elder Scrolls are is the theory that they are, in essence, an in-universe version of the TES game discs. They contain every possible scenario, past, present, and future, that could occur within a certain span of time; in other words, they’re the data of the game itself. Paarthunax allowing you to visit the past with one could almost be seen as him briefly loading up a save file from another (nonexistent in our world) Elder Scrolls game.
I always interpreted them as "the literal lore of the game"
Elder Scrolls: Total Recall
Morrowind prequel
Thanks Nate, It's Always a treat to see a new video on your channel!
whats crazy is ive had skyrim since it came out on 360.... and just now in january 2023, i finally visited falk firebeard and realized there was a dungeon for potema under solitude. all these years, and i missed that. made me think of you and your channel... miss your videos. wish you were more active again, i might just rewatch all of your videos. lol
Septimus signus was meant to be gone for years and years... It turns out he's just hidden in a cave in the sea north of winterhold for years and years searching for the answers to unlock knowledge given by hermaeus mora... I honestly think one of the sacrifices septimus made was to destroy winterhold... At the expense of innocent lives and sacrifice comes the greatest reward of all... Knowledge... And we all know hermaeus mora has ties to a lot of important events throughout the majority of the elder scrolls series and loves to use his powers as a daedra to manipulate people and events in nirn
can definitely see this, classic Herma Mora move. 'You left.. your home.. behind... To seek.. greater.. knowledge... Quite.. the sacrifice... And yet.. the city remains.. as.. a safety net... A home.. to return to... No sacrifice.. at all.., i would say... You.. know.. what you.. must do... What.. you must do.. for me..."
@@namelessmcentity2435 Honestly I think it was the Augur of Dunlain becoming a god-like being, Camelworks has a 3 hour long video that explains everything and I stand behind that theory 100%
To add more to the M'aiq iceberg: he is actually a very meta character. M'aiq's dialogue relates directly to some aspect of the game development or consumer criticism or even the fandom (his most famous, on the nose example probably being his fishy stick line in Oblivion). The channel Ghostcharm made a really great, in depth video on it, I'll link it here if anyone is interested czcams.com/video/HGEPZvO019U/video.html
Exactly he's not always just random nonsense he's a way for the devs to speak to us lol
Imo it makes sense for M'aiq to be Sheogorath in disguise- Sheo is the daedric prince of madness, who's to say that madness doesn't include a touch of insight into the meta? And, well, his bizarre and seemingly random statements. He's also apparently a big figure in khajiit lore.
This is the truth.
"yeah that's the SCP we keep in the attic, wanna see it?" had me spitting out my drink
I absolutely love the dedication you dudes do, says 3 videos, comes out to be 4 in total!!!!!!!❤
I’ve always loved the bugs in jars cause I got to have a butterfly in my house but I found out recently that if you get the anniversary pack the houses they give you from the quests also allow you to store them there on the shelves as collectable, along with the masks and different amours and weapons from quests
The everburning candle thing is probably a reference to the inexplicably-lit candles found in the dungeons.
Those are very explicable though. "Among the Draugr" details that the draugr light them.
its the wrong candle in the video. theres another candle right above the fireplace, in the middle of the room. And its mentioned here 1:01:15
@@henryettoit897 I know that one, I was saying the candles in the dungeons have an explanation.
@@Mr-Trox Right, but they never burn out or melt as a real candle would.
@@Nonamearisto Becuase it's a video game? That's game/lore separation, the candle in Candlehearth Hall is the one that is explicitly unmelting.
Dude Skyrim has so many interesting things in it wtf. Thank you for making this series, Nate. This is the absolute perfect vid for someone like me cause like this is all super interesting, and I know it took weeks to make this series. So yeh, thanks man, big appreciation for our boi
Skyrim has some really incredible lore to be discovered, but the problem is that a lot, a LOT of the juiciest lore is written down in books and letters. And there are also a LOT, A LOT of stinky poo poo garbage books and letters with truly meaningless information that exists purely to “Flesh Out” the world and its library of written knowledge.
As true as Bethesda could get to a Classic RPG while remaining modern-friendly, you have to read to learn everything; And some of the best information and stories found in the entire game can **ONLY** be experienced in-game by picking up a book and flipping its pages.
Your back after so long I have seen your past videos but finally!
1:01:47
"Oh yeah, that's the SCP we keep upstairs!"
Oh? I see Nathan is a man of culture! *NOICE.*
The Eye of Magnus was probably an artifact from Aetherius, given that it's covered in the same sort of glyphs that the Elder Scrolls are covered in. Ancano probably contacted the Thalmor back in Alinor, and they told him what it was, as their magical knowledge is far more advanced than those of the Nords, and the Psijics seem to know what it is, too. The line about "the power to unmake the world at my fingertips!" is the goal of the Thalmor, who- copying real-world Gnostic beliefs- think the material world and its makers were evil and wish to see the world undone to that the elves will supposedly resume their alleged divinity in a timeless, immaterial realm of pure ideas.
The Thalmor are trying to destroy the world, as they believe this will free them and grant them divinity, erasing the material plane forever. They've shut down or destroyed a number of towers the world of Nirn needs to remain stable, and after Skyrim, it seems as if the very last operational Tower is the first; the Adamantine Tower (or Direnni Tower) of High Rock. The Eye of Magnus can destroy the world, if the Psijics are correct. It might have been seen by Ancano as a way of speeding up the goal of the Thalmor.
It may be worth mentionning that Magnus was the creator god who brought into existence Mundus, and an entity who plays a bit of a role in the earlier periods of the world's existence.
Kinda unclear why this guy's eye and whatnot is now separate from him. Did he die or something?
Still, this is clearly an artifact on par with the Heart of Lorhkan, being that it's literally a part of a god.
@@rollanddev We don't know if it's physically a part of Magnus or not, but losing an eye isn't lethal. Losing one's heart generally is.
@@Nonamearisto Aw, yeah, good point. I was under the assumption that the "Eye of Magnus" meant his literal eye, but it could also just be an impressive-sounding name for a powerful artifact. :)
Though, while losing an eye isn't lethal, most people don't usually give theirs up willingly. If it *is* his actual eye, I'm curious what the story is about it finding its way to Mundus...
that's neo gnostic, not gnostic
@@ETHANR26 It's basically the same premise. Remember, "gnostic" was a term invented over 1200 years after the last major Gnostic ideologies were around. They existed mostly in the Roman Empire and maybe a little earlier until about the 700s, when they were marginalized by the triumph of Christianity and the rise of Islam. Gnostic ideas would pop up from time to time (Paulicans, Bogomils, Cathars, etc), but never gained widespread acceptance as older Gnostic movements did, such as Manicheanism.
I think Paarthurnax describes the elder scrolls as fragments of creation. I figure they’re just objects of immense power that were probably shaped by some long forgotten deity.
Could also just be pure scrolls that can control immense power, like any other spell scroll.
@@trutwhut6550 def not.
@@user-ws3hh2rn4v so they aren't immensely powerful magic scrolls?
In a game that has meta concepts like CHIM and self actualisation, I'd wager they're a literal deus ex machina. Created by whoever is outside Aetherius (Bethesda team) as an item of ultimate power with the ability to alter the story.
I’ve always read them as fragments of the Akashik Records. All of them together, you have access to all the knowledge of the world. Having multiples allows for access to more and different knowledge.
Welp, since I just watched the last episode of this series, I felt it was time to go back and see how it started. Worth a rewatch.
I’ve been watching you since you started the tiny details hearing you say “half a decade”
Is insane. Love your content always watch your Skyrim and fallout vids
7 years, almost
I just started my ever Skyrim play through last week and this game is fucking huge! I’ve barley stuck to the story only getting to the quest where I speak to the grey beards. I’ve found that doing the other side missions and exploring the world has been pretty fun.
Welcome to the world of Skyrim, Dovahkiin.
Consol commands are your friend if you want to play mod free to get achievements just FYI. But mods make it a whole new game so I recommend using those once you have the achievements. Good luck in Skyrim :)!
Nice!
The air-guitar riff at the end is the cherry on top of this lovely video sundae
"Oh yeah that's the SCP we keep upstairs wanna see it" had me cracking up! LOL
I love how this is just like a massive "details you may have missed in Skyrim" video, awesome work nate.
That mixed with straight up lore so best of both worlds
Nate's out here doing the lords' work man. So glad to see another video from you
I actually love the bugs in jars, I collected a bunch of them without even knowing about the symbols. Genuinely more precious to me than gems.
So happy youre still doing skyrim videos!! Its my first playthrought, im a lv 30 arconian and its so fun!
Damn, first play through? God I wish I could go back to 2011 and relive that first play through all over again. Such an amazing game I have tons of memories of.
Enjoy it to the fullest and try everything, do every side quest. There really is a lot to do and see and experience.
7:35 i thought anyone can use the shouts if they trained hard enough though, not entirely unique to the DB or Grey Beards... I mean.. Ulfric shouted Highking Torryg to death, and when pressed about it he definitely did not deny shouting.
Ulfric also uses the two Shouts he knows (Unrelenting Force and Disarm) during the last battle of the civil war, if you choose to go through that quest. It doesn't matter which side you take. He's at the last battle, and he uses his Shouts. So there's every possible reason the Ebony Warrior could have learned Shouts in the same way: by studying with the Greybeards as Ulfric did.
I KNOW
Because Ulfric was intended to be one of those baby Greybeards that Nate was talking about…
@@____________838 you sure? He got training, but mostly because he was important. Every powerful draugr knows a shout and was probably taught by a master in the days when dragon shouting was commonplace.
@@incognitoman3656 Im not sure particularly when he says it, but he was definitely training to be a greybeard. You can ask him about it in his palace i think.
In Egyptian mythology, it is said that the God of Scribes, Thoth, has a scroll, sealed away in a vault in the heavens. In this scroll, everything that exists is described in detail, every event of the past is recounted, and all deeds and occurrences that are to be also are there. This is, at least in my mind, the clearest real life parallel to an Elder Scroll, and seems to be supported by the speculation in setting. Moth Priests are said to be able to sacrifice their sight to read the scrolls and their predictions from the scrolls always come true. Through the scrolls we see into the past as well, with perfect detail. Hell if memory serves me Alduin even acts as if we are present in that replay of time, either in the actual encounter or in the final boss fight. It could also be that, given the right situations, such as what the Dwemer were doing with the one they had, it might be possible to rearrange the factors of the scroll in a more Neoplatonic sense, and that the scrolls simply provide a definition to things like "What is a rock" or "What is causality" or "How do various principles and things interact with each other" that is mechanistic enough that it looks like prophecy, because there are a limited amount of realities that can play out given those factors arranged in that way. Ultimately tho, my money is on the Elder Scrolls being some sort of in universe microcosm of the in universe macrocosm of everything that is true in Elder Scrolls.
*A* god of scribes???
Thoth is THE god of knowledge according to a lot of story variants I’ve heard
Thoth is EXTREMELY powerful to create a scroll that powerful
That was a really entertaining read and not trying to be rude. But how much pot have you smoked?
@@zackdelarosa14 none. All deep-lore knowing TESlore fans can and will become this crazy. It’s only a matter of time.
@@zackdelarosa14 the more important factors I think are that I've binged a shitload of mythology and mysticism AND do drugs, just like the dude who wrote half the lore the writers have been piggybacking off since Morrowind
regarding the "letter from a friend" mystery, my head canon is that it's the ebony warrior, helping you get stronger so you'll be more of a challenge later on
That ending 😂 glad your back Nate!
I love the theory that part of the quest involving the Eye of Magnus was cut, which would have resulted in you going back to the time of the Great Collapse with your battle with Ancano. That the eye actually caused this whole deal with the city of Winterhold.
So much effort put in this game series.
This video high lights my love hate relationship with this franchise. So much lore, just needlessly spread about with no connection to previous titles except "hey member?!". These lore videos are the only reason why I'm still a fan of the series yet can't play the game without several SERIES of mods. Such a disjointed game, thanks for working so hard to pull it all together 💖
The disappearance of the Dwarves is pretty well expanded in the books and especially the work of Arniel Gane in the college who does to himself what the Dwarves did.
It is almost certain that the mage guild quest was supposed to involve traveling through time and finding out what happened with the collapse (and possibly even preventing it) but it was too big and expensive to get done in time, so the quest got cut short.
I think what Arniel did to himself was different from what the dwemer did as you can summon his soul after the quest is over, whereas the dwemer where completely gone except Yagrum and the dwemer ghosts in the final mages guild quest in Morrowind.
The answer is that the Thalmor did it lol
@@OwenRandell936 Bit of a necro, here, but there are some theories that the souls of the dwemer were consumed to complete the Numidium. If this is the case, than Gane may have had it right; just, instead of all of the dwemer being absorbed into the Numidium, Arniel Gane was absorbed into the closest object of metaphysical power: us.
@@philipschroeder675 😮
The dwarves disappeared due to Kagrenac messing with the Heart of Lorkhan at the end of the Battle of Red Mountain meaning they effectively wiped themselves from existence.
Man, I used to go to your videos for trivias, tips or just purely for entertainment. I've been playing again and I'm glad to watch your videos again.
I feel like the Ebony Warrior is just a way to say "here's you once you complete the game, tricked out with nothing left to do. This is your fate."
I just love how we're still talking about all these mysteries after many years. Skyrim is one of the greatest . The games that we can just keep talking about forever. There is soo much to say; just like the game. The previous games were also great all in their own way. I've played only 3,4, and 5 but even the early elderscrolls were original. It's honestly something made for us.
When it comes to the Greybeards, Ulfric will outright admit he had been training with them to become one of them. And even Balgruuf says he visited them at one time. So I do think they try to train future generations that will one day replace them, but I think they're far and few between actual recruits, so they have to prolong their lives to wait for the right person or people to come along.
They are probably hesitant to train more Tongues after Ulfric started using his for war.
@@badluck5647 true. This civil war is unnecessary on the heels of a war that all of Tamriel is still recovering from. There's a lot that went into the lore of Skyrim.
Of course, it's obvious. Arngeir is not alive since jurguen, surely there were more greybeards before arngeir and the others.
@@badluck5647 Talos himself did it, so i don't see the problem. The philosophy of the greybeards is peaceful and sympathetic, but is simply a way to avoid that the people who know how to use the thu'um don't use it with liberty to make chaos, and Ulfric is following that. He only used in crucial moments, during the Markarth Incident and to use toryggs death as a symbol. We don't see him going there whenever he want to liberate skyrim shouting and making destruction. So the greybeards wouldn't be so upset about it.
@@JoseAlejandro-xc6fb Way to miss what I was saying. I wasn't arguing that they are the same Greybeards from that time.
I loved watching this while playing Skyrim for the first time in legendary dificulty, thanx for the lore, lore man
Bethesda and rockstar games secrets and Easter eggs still intrigue and unnerve me to this day there’s just something about them that get to me
Bethesda always feels like they make their gameplay for the 99% of casual players and the lore for the other 1%. Meaning like the lore is incredibly deep, but most people never even scratch the surface of it.
In the case of the "letter from a friend", after shouting in a town, I always assumed it would be one of the residents of said town. Not a single character. How they're aware of the shouts being in said location in the first place? Not sure there. Possibly legends or stories passed down through generations.
I think it's a member of the Thalmor, the wording seems to me that he's apart of a group that doesn't like the dragonborn... seems like the thalmor
My personal headcanon about the letters is that Akatosh inspires one of his priests to send a message via courier. Afterwards, the priest remembers nothing, because *technically* the Aedra aren't supposed to interfere in the mortal realm.
I always thought that it was the mage of whiterun (I think his name was farengal), he was the one that send us to the first wall and he might have heard the rumors of someone shouting since he‘s so close to the jarl etc.
Well, yeah, but what about bandits???