Lore:Many Paths

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"Akha. The First Cat, whom we know as the Pathfinder and the One Unmourned. In the earliest days, when Ahnurr and Fadomai were still in love, he explored the heavens and his trails became the Many Paths."
— Amun-dro

Many Paths Monument

The Many Paths (also called alternate realities or the multiverse) are other universes that exist outside the Aurbis. In mythology, the Many Paths were formed when Akha explored the heavens and myriad kingdoms were created from his trails, and Alkosh and Khenarthi now safeguard the Many Paths from the "wayward children" of Akha. Through expert usage of portal magic, travel across the multiverse is possible.

Mythology

In Khajiit mythology, when Ahnurr's Favored Son Akha explored the heavens, his trails became the Many Paths. In the earliest days, when Ahnurr and Fadomai were still in love, Ahnurr told him to find love the way he had with Fadomai. Akha mated with the Winged Serpent of the East, the Dune Queen of the West, and the Mother Mammoth of the North, before heading to the South and never returning. Instead, Alkosh appeared speaking warnings of the things Akha had made along the Many Paths. He was granted rule over the myriad kingdoms of Akha along the Many Paths. In time, the children of Akha overthrew him and scattered his body on the West Wind. It is said that when Khenarthi learned this, she flew across the Many Paths and put Alkosh back together. In doing so, she saw all the things Akha had wrought, including those that should "not be". Now, Alkosh, his faithful, and Khenarthi safeguard the Many Paths from the wayward children of Akha, for they are both terrible and kind. Alkhan, the Firstborn of Akha, was slain by Lorkhaj and his companions, but as an immortal Son of Akha he will "return from the Many Paths in time". It is said Boethra once walked the Many Paths in exile, and was followed back by the demon Orkha. When Merrunz exiled was exiled by Ahnurr, he chose to explore the Great Darkness rather than the Many Paths and fell to the demon Molagh, who tortured him until the creation of the World.

Access

Through an "umbric connection" (as coined by Azra Nightwielder), it is possible to link the shadows of beings together, allowing for telepathic communication over distance, although the process of such is painful. Azra attempted to manipulate his own shadow to such an extent that he would meld all possible versions of himself from different realities, crossing over from a singular existence to all the existences in shadow. He was frozen for centuries following a battle with Redguard soldiers, so his experiment never came to fruition.

The time-distorting properties of the Staff of Towers can be manipulated to alter the fabric of time and explore alternate realities. Through its use of changing the past, alternate versions of people from realities with different events can cross over to the main reality. This ability was discovered by Anumaril and recorded within his journals, and could be activated through a binding ritual performed in White-Gold Tower. The Psijic Josajeh sought to use the staff to erase drastic events in history such as her family's decline, the Knahaten Flu, Planemeld, and so on, and attempted the binding ritual in the Tower's throne room, bringing forth alternate versions of herself from different realities. Her ritual was interrupted and the Staff of Towers was reclaimed by the Psijics, preventing any further cross over.

Azandar al-Cybiades attempted to peer beyond the veil of his reality, much as Hermaeus Mora does, to gaze upon other fatelines of paths unwalked. He discovered that different paths can branch out depending on the choices one makes, which are known as divergence points. Through his tampering of viewing alternate realities, frayed fates of his different lives formed in Fathoms Drift.

The Saraathu Tong are a group of Dunmer mages that were cast out of Morrowind for an offense against the Tribunal, and came to Fargrave and use their expertise at portal magic to supply House Hlaalu with trade goods from across the multiverse. A Gleaner of Aurbis named Hrofald of the Three Jests came across a key that could open the forgotten Daedric portal daises scattered across the Deadlands and set out to explore the portal network, searching out its hidden secrets one by one, and referred to Deadlight as "the end of things".

Ithelia

Ithelia is the Daedric Prince of Paths and Mistress of the Untraveled Road. She has the power to manipulate the Many Paths in order to alter fate. Ithelia described the Many Paths variously as "possibilities, probabilities, places where fate takes a different course", "possibilities not yet realized", "realities close and distant", and "possibilities, roads to different outcomes, different realities". Additionally, she declared that "in the Many Paths, all things are possible", even to the point of extending beyond the foreseeable fates before the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. During a journey through different realities of the Many Paths, an alternate version of Ithelia explained that each of her "reflections" are connected, and can stabilize this connection with the Sage's Dream, a drink made from the essences of each reflection. The drink can reintegrate each Ithelia with her reflections, stabilizing her and allowing each to share their power and understanding through a combined essence. Furthermore, this alternate Ithelia explained the Many Paths as the web that binds the possibilities scattered across the Aurbis, each defined by distinct choices with unique outcomes that lead to new realities. Each of these realities contains a version of an entity, mortal or Daedra, with these versions differing in some way from each other but springing from the same seed. The Many Paths could potentially connect each of these versions across all realities, as it has in the case of Ithelia herself. The Prince has the ability to see the paths, follow their threads, and alter their fates. This ability has allowed Ithelia to prevent disasters to reality, but it also could threaten the very existence of that reality as well.

Using the Loom of the Untraveled Road, Ithelia had the power to reshape reality and change history. By weaving the different threads of the Many Paths, Ithelia attempted to weave into reality a history where she was never in conflict with the other Princes, and where every being was not bound by fate but had unconstrained choice. After the Loom was destroyed, Ithelia was "filled with the power of the Many Paths" and became the Last Tomorrow, the Destroyer of Reality. As she attacked Hermaeus Mora, she was unraveling the threads of fate, causing rips in reality that could have erased all of existence. Fortunately, Ithelia was shown the truth and she dissipated the power of the Many Paths before she could destroy reality.

After the close call with Ithelia, one more facet of the Many Paths was revealed. Upon the recommendation of Fate's Chosen, Hermaeus Mora and Ithelia searched the Many Paths for a universe where Ithelia would have no power. It was shown that Many Paths don't just lead to alternate realities, but "everywhere, other possibilities, parallel realities, one can go anywhere if they can find the right path". A world was found where Daedra and Magicka itself did not exist, and Ithelia was banished there never to return.

Gallery

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  Josajeh, Duchess of Worms, from an alternate existence where she joined Mannimarco's Worm Cult

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  An alternate version of Josajeh from a future where she became a Captain in the Imperial Legion

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  Josajeh from an alternate existence as a Merchant Lord

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  Ritemaster Josajeh, from a reality where she became leader of the Psijics

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  A frayed fate of Azandar al-Cybiades, from a world where he became a sailor instead

Notes

• It is said that due to the Soulburst, Nirn had become unmoored from the fabric of the multiverse.
• It is said that characters and objects from The Elder Scrolls are brought into the worlds of other games (such as Fortnite) and vice versa (such The Legend of Zelda), but the exact specifics of how this happens is not expanded upon.

See Also

• Crossovers

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.

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