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| This article is on a book from the mod Immersive Armors. For other uses, see Ritual Armor of Boethiah. |
| Ritual Armor of Boethiah | |
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Book
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25
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Ritual Armor of Boethiah is a book added by mod Immersive Armors.
It was originaly added by mod Ritual Armor of Boethiah.
Contents[]
~A warning to those other than the true Champion of our lord Boethiah. The diagrams and instructions for forging our Sacred Ritual Armor contained herein are only intelligible to her Champion, and thus are meaningless to anyone who has not been so proven by our dark mistress.~
~~~
The use of unique ceremonial armor has long been at the heart of our most guarded and secret rituals of Boethiah, 'He who destroys and She who erases'. Traditionally only one set of this Ritual Armor is allowed to be forged by Boethiah's Champion and only a priest or priestess may dare wear it, thus being marked until death as The Adversary. Donning the armor is a permanent challenge to all others of our sect who shall seek to destroy the Adversary in shadow or in light, as dictated by our relentless Rites of the Adversary. The wearer of the Ritual Armor accepts all challenges and must be constantly vigilant, for death now sleeplessly hunts them and can come at any time, seen or unseen, for as long as they can survive. If the Ritual Armor wearer's heart is truly full of purpose, and their life full of deeds then the Adversary may survive long enough to fulfill the rite by slaying the current Champion of Boethiah and thus taking their place until the time comes for the proven one to face their own final Adversary.
The designs and processes for forging the Ritual Armor where originally compiled in this book from direct instructions by Lord Boethiah herself, and the knowledge to truly understand this ancient art is transmitted directly only to The Champion.
Though we lie in shadow, we carve indelible signs of our passing into the world.
~~~
~~ The rest of the book contains diagrams of a complete set of seemingly Daedra inspired light armor only forgeable by Boethiah's Champion, or so it claims.
Upon first examination only the helm is clear enough to successfully craft for the armor presents unique forging challenges. For instance, the very metal that is used requires the heart of a daedra to temper the ingots. Mixing this eldritch blood with ebony creates a metal alloy that is both strong and light and gives it a coppery cast. Oils from the daedra heart are also used to cure the various leathers, bones, and hides used in it's construction. The hide or leather used in the armor is curiously unspecified, called simply 'hide of a great beast'. This leads you to wonder, what greater beast could there now be in Skyrim?
After extensive study and some experimentation, the secrets of constructing the main cuirass of the armor are revealed. It becomes clear to you that no specification or detail described by Lord Boethiah in it's construction is arbitrary or purely ornamental; all serve a function in protecting the Adversary from any attack, seen or unseen. The ornate carvings that adorn the armor, while still decorative and rich in meaning and tradition, are required to break up the reflective nature of the metal and thus serve to keep the wearer hidden in shadow.
Of special note is what is referred to as 'Boethiah's Eye'. A single metal and horn ringed polished stone mounted above the chest of the armor. This stone must be highly reflective and mirror the color of '...the twilight sky of the land'. The glinting of the Eye is said to be able to momentarily distract an opponent away from critical combat focal points (eyes & hands), and sometimes even temporarily blind them. When stealth is required, the cultist should traditionally cover the stone with a finger or smear it with blood to hide the reflections in the darkness. This habit of 'closing the Eye' was eventually adopted by the dark elves as a silent gesture - a single finger over the throat - to signal others to hide in shadow. At least two horns or large teeth are also required to be mounted curving upwards on either side of the stone to shield the wearer from sneak attacks from behind, as slitting the throat in the dead of night is the method most favored by cultists for dispatching the Adversary.
Forging the gauntlets poses few problems once your skills and knowledge are commensurate with the task. The only challenge presented lies in replacing the horns and talons with those of a dragon. Using the smaller horns from the end parts of the dragon's tail should comply with the diagrams in the book perfectly.
The specifications for fabricating the boots seem fairly standard except for a clever method the dunmer employ of using large strips of overlapping leather, almost braided, for the main structure of the boots. This seems to not only strengthen them but also adds to their flexibility and reduces noise. The cruel metal points on the end of each boot are obviously used both as protection and as a weapon.
An almost purely ceremonial mask is detailed towards the end of the book that except for an exotic method of curing the leather seems to offer little challenge in it's creation.
The final series of cryptic diagrams and instructions at the end of the book describe something you have not seen before: an item as much armor as arcane magical enchantment. The armor outlined seems to be some type of heavy leather partial cloak and is referred to in the book as either Boethiah's Shroud or simply as The Shroud. Great detail is put into the specifications for the forging and enchanting of this item, with many warnings about the perils that await those who deviate from any of the instructions in even the tiniest manner.
The physical construction of the Shroud seems simple enough, apart from an extremely time consuming process for curing the leather, requiring some unusual ingredients like void salts, the heart of a daedra, and the "...hardened hide of an iron-skinned beast..." ground and embedded into the leather itself. For this ingredient you conclude that dragon scales will best fulfill the requirements.
The dunmer cultists imbued the Shroud with a powerful enchantment conjured from the planes of Oblivion by Boethiah herself. The magic enchanting the Shroud is simply called - Despair. The Adversary that wears the Shroud of Boethiah (according to the cryptic and rambling poetry found scattered throughout the book) commands the shadows themselves to bend to the '...will and weave...' of the Shroud and, when stealth is required, to cloak the wearer in darkness and silence. Any nearby opponent or prey that is hostile to the Shroud's wearer, whether perceived or not, is infected by a churning miasma of Despair causing all their actions and movements to be severely impeded. This magical effect, though seemingly simple, is said to be essential for the continuing survival of the Adversary, either by providing an opportunity to escape, or to quickly close with their sluggish and despairing prey.
~~~
