Lore:Arden-Sul

Arden-Sul
Arden-Sul preached from this building, which became known as the Sacellum Arden-Sul
Race	Unknown	Gender	Male
Died		Shivering Isles
Previous Ruler		Haskill
Next Ruler		Hero of Kvatch
Resided in		Shivering Isles

Arden-Sul, known by various titles such as the Prophet, Artificer Superior, Dark Deceiver, He Who Gave His Heart's Blood, and He Who Reads the Winds in Our Entrails was a powerful prophet and ruler from an earlier time in the Shivering Isles. The events of his life and death are widely disputed by the people of the Isles, particularly in regards to the Sacellum. As with everything else in the Isles, the division in viewpoints lies between Mania and Dementia. The only thing the ruling powers seem to agree on is that he was a prophet who preached in the building that shares his name, the Sacellum Arden-Sul, and that he had 213 followers. The Manic and Demented versions of his death have even become part of the ritual of accession for each respective duchy. More detailed accounts of his death can be found in the book The Prophet Arden-Sul. Not much else is known about Arden-Sul. Some say he was a hero, some say he is some sort of god. The beliefs of the maniacs and the demented contradict each other almost completely. He bore the Raiment of Arden-Sul which became a cherished relic.

History

The Raiment of Arden-Sul

As the Manic and Demented are always fighting about what is to be considered good and bad, the beliefs about his life and death are told by each high priest in the Sacellum, and differ by each shade of madness. The different beliefs of his teachings are told in the Sacellum, depending on which faction is in power.

Manic Belief

The Manics maintain that on the site of the Sacellum of Arden-Sul before New Sheoth existed, Arden-Sul was the first to be afflicted with the Grand Enlightenment and became blinded. The Maniacs claim he was a sovereign of craftsmanship and song, an exquisite artist.

In the Manic tradition, Arden-Sul had a party at the Sacellum that became a massive night of indulgence. Greenmote, wine, dancing, poetry and all pleasures of the flesh that the Manics love was folded into one night. At the climax of the party all 213 of his guests dropped dead, their hearts literally having burst from an overdose of the potent drug greenmote. Arden-Sul was reportedly the last to die and was in a state of great bliss. Now, when the Duke or Duchess of Mania feels it is their time—or sometimes when the successor takes it upon themselves—they invite their successor-to-be to a grand feast and the current duke will partake of an overdose of Greenmote, causing their own death. The former duke's blood is then taken to the Sacellum, and the successor is made Duke of Mania.

Demented Belief

The Demented hold that the site of the Sacellum was the location where Arden-Sul endured what is known as the Hundred Day Torture. They see Arden-Sul as an ever present force that embodies pain and pleasure.

In the Demented tradition, Arden-Sul feared his followers as potential traitors and went searching for a way of knowing a person's true feelings. Eventually, he discovered visceromancy, the science of divination through the observation of the entrails of others. Summoning his flock to the Sacellum, he poisoned the wine, leaving his followers paralyzed. He then cut out their hearts in order to find the traitor. Angered by his failure to find one, he tore out his own heart, only realizing as he died that he was the traitor, destined to kill himself. Unlike the Manics, the Demented succession customarily involves murder of the predecessor as murder and betrayal are respected themes in Dementia. The heart of the former duke is taken to the Sacellum, and in a similar fashion to the Manic ritual, the successor is made the new Duke of Dementia.

Heretic Belief

The Heretics believe that Arden-Sul is the true lord of the Shivering Isles and that Sheogorath is just a man who needs to be overthrown. They claim that consorting with Daedra and practicing foul magics have driven Sheogorath mad, and that he perverts the teachings of Arden-Sul. Their ultimate goal was to make sport of killing Sheogorath to prove their claims correct.

Zealot Belief

The Zealots believe that Sheogorath is a living god and that Arden-Sul is the personification of Sheogorath's mortality and that eventually Arden-Sul will return to cleanse the Shivering Isles. What is noteworthy of this claim by the zealots, is that other mortals, namely the mortal form of the Vestige Haskill, and later the Hero of Kvatch mantled the Daedric Prince of Madness, becoming Sheogorath. Given the claims by the Zealots, it is possible Arden-Sul was yet another mortal who took on that mantle.