Mace of Aevar Stone-Singer
The Mace of Aevar Stone-Singer (also called the Mace of Aevar Stonesinger) is a prized Skaal artifact. According to legend, the eponymous hero used the mace to amplify the Song of the Earth, returning the Gift of the Earth and making the land rich again for the Skaal. It is traditionally awarded to anyone who completes the Ritual of the Gifts, a sort of pilgrimage around Solstheim practiced by the Skaal. Though a magnificent and lethal stalhrim weapon which inflicts frost damage on foes, the mace is also extraordinarily heavy. In 3E 427, the Nerevarine completed the ritual and became the only known outsider to have received the mace from the Skaal.
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Mace of Molag Bal
The Mace of Molag Bal, also known as the Vampire's Mace, is a Daedric artifact attributed to Molag Bal, the Lord of Domination and Enslavement. Its enchantment drains the stamina and magicka of its victims and transfers them to the bearer. It also has been known to have the ability to transfer an enemy's strength to its wielder or trap their soul. It has been said to be a good weapon of choice for vanquishing wizards.
Many legends surround the mace, but its origins can be traced back to when Molag Bal deceived an Orcish blacksmith and enslaved him in pits of Coldharbour. The blacksmith was turned into a Soul Shriven and forced to forge the mace.
Due to Molag Bal's penchant for meddling in mortal affairs, he grants the mace to those he deems worthy but has also been quite free with his artifact. Molag Bal assumes that when such a powerful artifact falls into mortal hands, a trail of death and destruction is sure to follow. Some believe the mace to be an object of Daedra worship.
During Molag Bal's attempted Planemeld circa 2E 582, he was witnessed wielding the mace himself. In the events leading up to the Warp in the West, an agent of the Blades received the Mace of Molag Bal in exchange for eliminating a heretic mage. In 3E 427, the mace was also awarded to a supplicant who dispatched a lazy Daedroth minion named Menta Na for not wreaking the havoc and terror he was created for. During the Oblivion Crisis, Molag Bal spread corruption by having the Champion of Cyrodiil incite a local pacifist to murder; again, the mace was given as a reward. In 4E 201, Molag Bal presented the mace to the Last Dragonborn for helping to capture the soul of a priest of Boethiah.
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Mace of Slurring
The Mace of Slurring was crafted near the end of the Second Era by Kyanka, a slightly deranged Altmer weaponsmith and enchanter. He had a rather warped sense of humor, and apparently delighted at the thought of reducing opponents to a gibbering mess before crushing them to death. However, the mace saw little use. In 3E 427, the mace was recovered by the Nerevarine and sold to the Mournhold Museum of Artifacts.
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Mantella
The Mantella is a massive green gem created from the soul of the Underking, that serves as the heart of the Numidium, a gigantic brass golem. The Mantella must be placed into the body of the Numidium in order to resurrect it. When Tiber Septim used the Numidium during his conquest of Tamriel, the Underking became infuriated that his stolen heart was being used in such a manner. The Underking, a Shezarrine lich who was confused for both Ysmir Wulfharth and Zurin Arctus, fought to reclaim his heart, but the battle resulted in the destruction of both him and the Numidium, and the Mantella was blasted into Aetherius. Tiber Septim sent out agents to recover the scattered pieces of the Numidium, while the Underking sent his forces to recover the Mantella which contained his life force.
Its location was discovered in 3E 401 by Nulfaga of the Wrothgarian Mountains in High Rock. An agent of the Blades was teleported to the Mantellan Crux, and recovered the Mantella just before the event known as the Warp in the West in 3E 417. During the event, it is believed that the Underking reclaimed his lost heart from the Mantella, giving him the death he had sought for so long.
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Masque of Clavicus Vile
The Masque of Clavicus Vile is a helm which makes the wearer more popular wherever he or she might go. Much like other Daedra and their artifacts, Clavicus seems to retain ultimate control of the Masque and may recall it without warning.
The best known story of the Masque tells the tale of Avalea, a noblewoman of some renown. As a young girl, she was grossly disfigured by a spiteful servant. Avalea made a dark deal with Clavicus Vile and received the Masque in return. Though the Masque did not change her looks, suddenly she had the respect and admiration of everyone. A year and a day after her marriage to a well connected baron, Clavicus Vile reclaimed the Masque. Although pregnant with his child, Avalea was banished from the Baron's household. Twenty one years and one day later, Avalea's daughter claimed her vengeance by slaying the Baron.
The Hero of Daggerfall received the Masque in exchange for assassinating a rogue werewolf. A decade or two later, in 3E 427, the Masque was in the hands of Sorkvild the Raven, a Nord sorcerer who had been terrorizing the village of Dagon Fel in Morrowind. The Nerevarine purportedly claimed it from Sorkvild's corpse. At the time of the Oblivion Crisis several years later, the Masque was offered up by Clavicus to the Champion of Cyrodiil in exchange for finding and returning the sword Umbra. The last known time Vile offered up the Masque, it was to the Last Dragonborn two hundred years later.
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Mehrunes' Razor
Mehrunes' Razor (sometimes Mehrunes Razor), also called the Dagger of the Final Wounds, the Bane of the Righteous and the Kingslayer, is a Daedric artifact created by the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon. This powerful ebony dagger has the ability to kill instantly, as there is a small chance that Dagon will claim the souls of those struck by the Razor. It is Daedric in appearance, emblazoned with Daedric script and seemingly able to drink the light that hits it.
In the Second Era, an Argonian named Trouble-Finder reported coming across a cheap dagger for sale in Ebonheart. It is unknown whether this was actually the Razor, but several cultists believed it was and chased him down for it. Circa 2E 582, Mehrunes' Razor had been shattered into several shards.
It is said that the Telvanni master of Sadrith Mora, Neloth, was once in possession of the blade and used it to inspire his troops in battle against the rival Telvanni master of Tel Aruhn, Gothren, before it was stolen by a troupe of acrobats whom he had wronged. The troupe used the dagger for a time in their acts, Master Mearvis in particular using it to turn marshmerrow reeds into papyrus. Circa 3E 325, the Dark Brotherhood was decimated by a vicious internal power struggle, and it is suspected that the Razor was involved.
Around the time of the Warp in the West, an unknown agent of the Blades was given the weapon by Dagon for slaying a rebellious frost atronach. In 3E 427, the Nerevarine recovered the razor from Alas Ancestral Tomb, where it lay disused and rusted by the corpse of Varner Hleras. In return, Dagon imbued the razor with his power and returned it to its former glory.
In 3E 433, a rogue Telvanni Arch-Mage named Frathen Drothan assembled an army of mercenaries and searched for the razor in Sundercliff Watch, an abandoned Imperial outpost and iron mine. It was rumored that the entrance to the ancient Ayleid city of Varsa Baalim had been uncovered, and with it the Nefarivigum. This was an evil construct of Mehrunes Dagon, created to test pilgrims seeking the razor. Msirae Faythung, a previous champion of Dagon, stood guard over the Razor after having failed the Prince. As punishment, the Kyn cut open his chest to reveal his heart and cursed him to stand statue-like in the Nefarivigum for eternity. Drothan decrypted the runes in the Nefarivigum, which summoned the razor, but before he could recover it the Champion of Cyrodiil defeated him and claimed the dagger..
After the Oblivion Crisis, a group devoted to eradicating the Mythic Dawn from Tamriel stumbled upon the razor. They broke the razor into pieces and divided them between the three most senior members of their order, pledging to keep the pieces safe. They renamed themselves "The Keepers of the Razor" in honor of their new role. The hilt, pommel, and blade shards of the razor were passed down through the Keepers' descendants, but the scabbard was not.
In 4E 201, the Last Dragonborn was contacted by Silus Vesuius, a Dagon enthusiast trying to establish a Mythic Dawn museum, who had found the scabbard. He hired the Dragonborn to collect the three missing pieces. The two journeyed to a shrine to Mehrunes Dagon to have the Razor repaired. Dagon demanded the life of Silus Vesuius in return. Vesuius offered the Dragonborn gold to ignore Dagon's request, wanting to add the shattered pieces to his museum if he couldn't have the restored artifact. It is unknown whether the Dragonborn accepted his offer or killed Vesuius and claimed the dagger.
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Mentor's Ring
The Mentor's Ring is a prized possession for any apprentice to magic. It lends the wearer the ability to increase their intelligence and wisdom, thus making their use of magic more efficient. The High Wizard Carni Asron is said to be its creator, and he loaned it to apprentices while they were studying under him. After Asron's death, the ring and several other possessions vanished and have been circulated throughout Tamriel. The Nerevarine is said to have found the ring in a tomb in the Bitter Coast region of Vvardenfell.
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Moon-and-Star
Moon-and-Star is a Dwarven ring of Chimer hero Nerevar. The artifact was forged by one of the smiths of Dwemer Sorcerer-priest Kagrenac and blessed by the Daedric Goddess Azura. The ring lent Nerevar supernatural powers of persuasion and indisputable proof of identity, since any other who tried to wear it would be killed instantly. The Moon-and-Star helped Nerevar unite the warring Chimer clans, and form the First Council which included the Dwemer.
Moon-and-Star played a role in the Nerevarine Prophecies, as it allowed the Nerevarine, the reincarnation of Nerevar, to again unite the Great Houses and Ashlander clans, this time in the battle against the forces of Dagoth Ur.
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Mortuum Vivicus
The Mortuum Vivicus was a powerful weapon created by the Daedric Prince Molag Bal. It has no physical form, instead appearing as a large orb of cold light. It was originally given as a gift to the Ayleid King Anumaril of Abagarlas, a Daedraphile settlement on City Isle that was dedicated to Bal. The Abagarlans planned to use the Vivicus to drain all life from the rival city of Delodiil and convert its citizens to undead servants of Molag Bal, as penance for King Cenedelin's mockery of the temple of Abagarlas. The Meridia-worshipping city of Delodiil responded by forging a powerful weapon imbued with the Prismatic Core, a powerful crystal given to them by Meridia. An elite group of warriors were then sent to Abagarlas to preemptively destroy the Vivicus. However, Bal snatched the weapon away right before it could be destroyed, returning it to his realm of Coldharbour for safekeeping.
The Vivicus would lie dormant in the Halls of Submission for several thousand years, until in 2E 582 Molag Bal began an all-out attack on Mundus during his attempted Planemeld. Using the power of the unprecedented amount of souls being sacrificed in his name, Bal hoped to return the weapon to Tamriel and "burn" the entire continent. The Fighters Guild had come under the sway of Meridia, with its guildmaster murdered and replaced by one of her worshippers, and enough money provided to dedicate the guild's entire resources towards destroying Bal's Dark Anchors and preventing the return of the Vivicus. Seeking to reveal Guildmaster Sees-All-Colors' treachery and thwart Meridia's plans, Molag Bal had his own servant, Aelif, work alongside the guildmaster and the Soulless One. Aelif betrayed the guild at the last second, although she was defeated in combat by the Soulless One and the Mortuum Vivicus was destroyed using the reforged Prismatic Core.
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- ESO
Mysterium Xarxes
The Mysterium Xarxes was a tome written by Mehrunes Dagon, who scribed it in "the deserts of rust and wounds". It was an artifact of great - and evil - power. The book was dangerous to handle, as even reading from it required magical protection from its power.
The book was given by Dagon to Mankar Camoran. After studying the tome, Mankar wrote the Commentaries on the Mysterium Xarxes (also known as the Mythic Dawn Commentaries). Inspired by the prophecies and promises within the book, Mankar founded the Mythic Dawn, a Daedric cult which worshipped Mehrunes Dagon. The Xarxes acted as the cult's holy book, and was stored in the Mythic Dawn's hidden shrine in the caverns beneath Lake Arrius in Cyrodiil. Using the power of the book, Mankar created Gaiar Alata, or "Paradise", an alternate realm where the souls of Mythic Dawn cultists went in death.
In 3E 433, following the Mythic Dawn's assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and all of his legitimate heirs, the Blades infiltrated the cult and stole the Mysterium Xarxes from their shrine to Mehrunes Dagon. It was taken to Cloud Ruler Temple, where Martin Septim, the bastard son of Uriel and the heir to the throne, translated the Xarxes and discovered a way to create a portal to Camoran's Paradise. The ritual required a Great Welkynd Stone, a Great Sigil Stone, a Daedric artifact, and an Aedric artifact. The Hero of Kvatch entered Gaiar Alata and defeated Camoran, retrieving the Amulet of Kings. The Xarxes was destroyed in the process.
A single burned page from the tome survived the events of the Oblivion Crisis, and came into the possession of the Vesuius family, who were once members of the Mythic Dawn. In 4E 201, the page was put on display by Silus Vesuius in his "Mythic Dawn Museum" in the Skyrim city of Dawnstar.
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