Varliance (also known as Aetherial Magic,[1] Ayleid Magic,[2] Star-Magicka,[3] or simply Star-Magic)[3] is a type of radiant blue magic that emanates from the stars in the night sky.[3][4] The word may translate to starlight,[UOL 1] which the ancient Ayleids believed was the purest form of light, one of their four acknowledged elements.[5] Of the races of Tamriel, the Ayleids are more closely associated with it.[1] They use both Welkynd and Varla Stones (types of meteoric glass) to store the starlight and repurpose it for a variety of reasons.[6]
The Ayleid Wells found across Cyrodiil and other provinces are presumed to harness the starlight so magic wielders could replenish their magicka reserves.[5] Azandar al-Cybiades theorized that the power Ayleid Wells reroute back towards the heavens was being collected by someone living on Arkay or Akatosh, though it is widely thought that no mortal beings are found there.[7] Similarly, the Dwemer of Mzulft built an oculory in the city's aedrome to collect starlight.[8]
Another similar device was the Aurbical Abacus, a Yokudan artifact associated with Zeht that stored star-magic as data and tracked the movements of astronomical bodies, like planets and the moons.[3] Although the Nedes of Craglorn revere the stars as a religion, via the Cult of the Stars, there is evidence to suggest that the highest-ranked members of the cult preserved ancient rituals that involved aetherial magic.[1] Ciphers of the Eye that maintain the Sidereal Cloisters in Apocrypha weave starlight into fabrics of fate to determine potential futures.[9][10]
The Varliance Gate, which is present in Khajiiti mythology, is reflected by the Aether Prism, a stone made from Magrus' eye by Azurah.[11] When Merid-Nunda attacked the Lunar Lattice, Azurah struck her down before the Varliance Gate and dragged her away from it.[12]
GalleryEdit
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A Welkynd Stone
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A Varla Stone
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The Mzulft Oculory
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c Mysteries of the Mundus Stones — Lady Cinnabar of Taneth
- ^ A Distracted Enemy
- ^ a b c d Naryu's Journal/Hew's Bane — Naryu Virian
- ^ High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio Answers Your Questions — High Astrologer Caecilus Bursio
- ^ a b Magic from the Sky — Irlav Jarol
- ^ Aetherial Fragments — Lady Cinnabar of Taneth
- ^ Azandar al-Cybiades' dialogue in ESO
- ^ Paratus Decimius' dialogue in Skyrim
- ^ Meenai-Shai's dialogue in ESO: Necrom
- ^ The Sidereal Cloisters loading screen text in ESO: Necrom
- ^ The Sky Spirits — Amun-dro, the Silent Priest
- ^ The Adversarial Spirits — Amun-dro, the Silent Priest
Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.