ESO - Loremasters Archive: Songs of the Stars

High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio presents a new lore book and answers your questions.

We were pleased to welcome the High Astrologer of the Star-Gazers into our halls. Though he looked rather road-weary, he insisted on keeping his visit brief, though he did stay long enough to answer a few questions. Please enjoy his new book!

For the next Loremaster's Archive, we'll be answering your questions about the Elder Scrolls, which will be answered by Moth Sister Terran Arminus. Send your questions to [email protected], and you may receive an answer!

Songs of the Stars
By High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio

Mere months ago, we were the subject of ridicule to those scant few who even recognized the name “Star-Gazer." The barely concealed chuckles and eye-rolls of the inhabitants of Belkarth still sting. But, oh, now they flock to us, scholars and mages alike, seeking the notes and wisdom we have amassed on the topic of the stars. I should be pleased, should be eager to share our studies and invite new perspectives, but I find it hard to set aside the bitterness and scorn the years of derision have incised into my heart.

I am one of the most experienced members of our order now. I have visited the great observatory in Stros M'Kai. I have charted the movements of the constellations every night without fail. I have seen our mighty Guardians fall from the sky—and still I live, when many of my colleagues do not. Now that we have gained some degree of legitimacy within the scholarly establishment, now that I am High Astrologer, I should be at the forefront of our efforts to educate.

But instead, I find myself more and more withdrawn. I spend my days and nights within our archive, deep in study. If the very stars can fall from the skies and manifest physically on Nirn, much of what we once theorized about the nature of the stars—and, yes, even of the Mundus itself—is wrong, or at least far more incomplete than we could have guessed. And if it can happen once, what is stopping it from happening again? What keeps the Serpent from eclipsing every star in the sky, severing us from Aetherius? While the others seek mundane recognition and status, I find my soul drawn to the sky as ever, still vigilant against the dangers that prowl the emptiness.

I must admit: there is something else. If the constellations can be realized in physical form, are our assumptions about their impact on the mortals of Nirn as shallow as I suspect? Perhaps each individual is influenced in some way by the ascendant sign during their birth, but does it work the other way around? Can one, with the right understanding and rituals, draw power from constellations that goes beyond normal magic? And what impact might this have on the Aetherial plane?

In my sleepless nights spent hunched over our rarest tomes (a perk of being High Astrologer), I have uncovered references, again and again, to an ancient Dwemer text, “Harmonic Astronymics." It may have the answers to my questions—or, more likely, it may lead me to ask better-informed questions. We know the Dwemer had a greater understanding of the Mundus than we do even now, and I cannot help but wonder if they could harness the power of the constellations in ways we cannot even imagine. If a copy of this text still exists, I must find it. But where to start—and how to leave my fellow Star-Gazers in this tumultuous time?

High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio Answers Your Questions:

“Our order came into possession of a tome that speaks of a mighty king named Ysmir the Forefather who ascended to the heavens to become The Warrior constellation. Do your archives hold any knowledge of this previously unknown king of men and dragons, who oddly shares a name with the Ash King? Do the other Guardian constellations have a similar mythic origin that you could reveal?" – Archivist Jimeee of the United Explorers of Scholarly Pursuits

High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio says, “The association of figures of myth and legend with one constellation or another is a common theme across Tamriel: usually a hero or monarch is identified with the powerful aspects of whatever stars she or he was said to be born under. For example, St. Alessia, the First Empress, is traditionally associated with the constellation of The Thief, while her consort Morihaus took as his device the constellation of The Lord, and wore the Lord's Mail. So let us consider Ysmir, whose legend, as it happens, is known to me: did he ascend to the heavens to become The Warrior? That implies that the constellation was not there previously, which seems unlikely to me. Did he ascend to heaven by passing through his birthsign of The Warrior to achieve Aetherius beyond? Poetic, but possible, I suppose, at least for a figure of myth. Did Ysmir take The Warrior as his sigil because the Warrior represented his strengths, and was thus associated with that constellation even after his death (or passing, or assumption, or ascendance)? This seems to me the most likely explanation of all. However, others will certainly differ, and you may find their arguments more persuasive than mine."

“What are the 'unstars' or 'not-stars' which are said to make up the constellation of The Serpent? Also, as the position of stars relative to each other (or at least to the Sun) is not fixed: if stars are holes in the sky, how do they move around?" – Feynn

High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio says, “It is exactly this matter that has engaged some of our surviving Star-Gazers, a matter which they are studying under my direction. Though we have but an imperfect understanding of The Serpent, I believe the answer to your questions is implied in their statement: unlike the 'holes in the sky,' which are unmoving (at least in relation to each other), the so-called 'unstars' of The Serpent can move precisely because they are NOT stars. They resemble stars, however, in that they shine by night—but what is the nature of the light they are shining down upon us? It certainly isn't Varliance. What is it? Is it benevolent to mortals, or malevolent? These questions, I feel, are important, and much may depend on the answers."

"I have a question about the constellation of The Shadow: with the exception of Sep the Serpent, we always heard that the stars are linked to Aetherius. But The Shadow seems odd, with the stories about the Shadowscales, and now I found this book in our archives called 'The Dark Husband' who links The Shadow with Sithis. Is that true? Is The Shadow a herald of Sithis? Is it really linked to Aetherius?" – Iszara the Restless, Singer of the Scenarist Guild

High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio says, “Interesting, Iszara. I shall have to seek out the tome of which you speak. Certainly, in poetry and myth, The Shadow has been thematically linked by some with the unbeing and the void. However, some see The Shadow otherwise, as the mere obverse of Magnus' light, simply one of the many manifestations of the Anuic/Padomaic duality of the Mundus. In this regard, The Shadow would represent the void through which the stars shine—which once again associates it with the Abyss Beyond, albeit in a backhanded fashion. It is probably wisest to think about these aspects of reality as essences or qualities rather than personalities—though when we, as mere mortals, interact with them, our minds can only grasp them by perceiving them as personae."

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