The Star Teeth are magical prismatic crystals taken from the skies by Ayleid Airships during the Merethic Era. Seven Star Teeth were captured by the Airships.
The crews of the Airships believed them to be fire gods from the night sky. The Teeth were artifacts of light, in some way associated with the stars; the Ayleids believed starlight to be the purest form of the element. The Star Teeth had the ability to counteract powerful Shadow Magic. The descent of the Star Teeth matches the description of "shooting stars", Aetherial Fragments falling to Nirn from Aetherius; this would imply that they are made of Meteoric Glass. The Star Teeth appear structurally similar to Welkynd Stones, but without the capability to store magicka. Although apparently impossible to control, the Teeth emit sporadic bursts of light. The true nature of their light magic remains unknown, but their potency is seemingly lessened by shade or darkness.
The seven Star Teeth were traditionally held in the Vault of the Heavens in the Agea Relle, later known as the Crypt of Hearts. Placed on the pedestals there, they provided a powerful magical enhancement which could be used to fight creatures of shadow. The Ayleids later abandoned the Agea Relle, and in the early Second Era a school for adventurers was established in the ruins by two Altmer, Nerien'eth and Alanwe. Alanwe discovered the crystals on their pedestals, and named them Star Teeth due to their similarity to a row of teeth. After researching the Teeth, she attempted to weaponize their light by emulating their enchantment with a Welkynd Stone as a base. She hoped that their light magic could be used against Daedra and all manner of undead, or at least as reusable torches or paperweights should her experiments prove unsuccessful. Alanwe's plans were never realised, as her husband Nerien'eth fell under the influence of Mephala and killed her after claiming the Ebony Blade.
The haunted Agea Relle became known as the Crypt of Hearts, and was avoided by the people of Rivenspire for many years. The ruins were eventually cleared of undead and Daedric influence in 2E 582, at which point shards of the Star Teeth had begun to be circulated throughout Tamriel.
In time, the Star Teeth left the vault and were scattered across Tamriel. By 3E 397, only five were known of, the other two having faded from memory. During the War of the Bend'r-mahk, the shadowmage Skelos Undriel tasked an unknown hero, the Soul of Conflict, with retrieving the five known Star Teeth, which he needed to fight the Umbra' Keth, a Shadow of Conflict created by the ongoing war. The Star Teeth had come into the possession of several influential figures in the area:
- The Witch Tree, a sentient tree located in Ghast's Pass in Hammerfell, had grown around a Star Tooth
- Porliss Caith, an Argonian agent of Hammerfell in the ongoing war
- Tanyin Aldwyr, a Redguard agent of Skyrim in the ongoing war
- Lakvan, a Skyrim bandit working with Jagar Tharn
- Perosius, an assassin hiding out in Hammerfell
- Azra Nightwielder, the first shadowmage, who had disappeared many years prior
- The Chieftain of the ice tribe of Glacier Crawl
Azra Nightwielder, who was discovered and awoken by the hero, revealed that there were in fact seven Star Teeth, and five wouldn't be enough to defeat the Umbra' Keth. Azra warned Skelos Undriel that he would perish if he attempted it, but it is unknown if Undriel heeded his advice. The hero recovered all seven Star Teeth and encountered the spirit of Captain Nym in Glacier Crawl. Nym was a captain of one of the Airships which had originally captured the Teeth; his Airship crashed into the glacier long ago. Nym feared the plans of Jagar Tharn and Pergan Asuul, who both wanted to control the Umbra' Keth. Pleased with the hero's efforts to thwart their plots, Nym gifted the hero with the Star Coif, a very valuable lightweight helmet. Armed with the seven Star Teeth, the hero descended into the Crypt of Hearts and lured the Umbra' Keth into the Vault of the Heavens. This allowed the hero to defeat the Umbra' Keth, whose shadows were then shredded by sparks from the Teeth.
The Star Teeth Greaves are a piece of valuable medium armor, but their relation to the Teeth is unknown. Similar crystals include Welkynd Stones, Varla Stones and Stormhold Crystal.
Gallery
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A Star Tooth (Shadowkey)
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An Airship (Shadowkey)
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The spirit of Captain Nym (Shadowkey)
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A Star Tooth Shard (ESO)
