On Elemental Daedra

On Elemental Daedra

by Elvyr

Many have studied, and been mesmerized by, the behavior of summonable daedra. Many more have desired more efficient, longer-lasting conjurations, without needing the involved and tedious requirements of a ritual of binding.

As we all know, the common mage relies on the customary mantra, 'Web-Oht-Ekem Yoodt-Payem-Oht-Neht Yahkem-Oht-Yoodt', or a slight variation thereof, and the hand gesture of symmetrically aligning three first fingers -- wary to not invoke from any sphere of Daedra Prince. A common choice to focus one's attention on is the sun, as it is the direct link to the source of magicka itself and thus neutral. Some disagree and prefer other options, but Magnus has been proven to be the most powerful source of all points in the firmament.

Proposals on how to properly fluctuate the resulting mana stream to certain threads, such as from Magnus to Aetherius' second plane or through Secunda to the Void itself, have been made, tested, and adapted since the fall of the Alessian Order. However, magicka redirection is an extremely complex subject, and only a few practitioners have ever claimed to successfully accomplish this, most notably Amion of Crystal Tower. With hm drifting into madness after living eight hundred years, and not being eager to teach, the mystery of how this was accomplished remains unsolved.

As I am one of the few living Mer to have seen him perform the conjuration of a frost atronach with but a simple gesture, and no mantras at all, it is fitting that I recreate this feat.

Preparations and Initial Experiment

Firstly, I required a safe testing environment, suitable experimental subjects, and a lack of interruptions, so unnecessary deaths would be avoided. To establish a baseline of expected behavior, I chose to put a kwama forager in a lair with a frost atronach, what was summoned in the usual manner.

Even with how aggressive the species is known to be, the kwama mildly surprised me with how fearlessly it attempted to defend itself from the freezing cold elemental, dying swiftly in the attempt. And yet, the atronach itself showed no signs of aggression against such a beast until attacked.

Second Experiment

When I finally risked testing the redirection procedures, the results did not prove to be as successful as I first expected. I sought to stream the magicka so as to not make the atronach physically visible, only its dictated actions obvious for any dweller of Nirn. This would not be accomplished by a mere invisibility spell, which hides already visible matter; there is a major difference between these two. Unfortunately, this test failed, as the actions of the atronach were bound between Oblivion and Nirn, reaching neither. I have been unable to find studies on this subject, and further doubt that any exist.

Third Experiment

Another possibility I considered is lessening the amount of cold energy a frost atronach releases while being summoned. Even peaceful creatures, such as a wandering scrib, fled or attacked when caught in this small, but noticeable, field. A single summoning left little detectable trace after dismissal, but as the excess gradually built up, this effect became noticeable in the magicka surroundings.

Those wishing to employ such guardians should take note: Summoning three atronaches a day, without care, quickly becomes apparent even to the untrained! Unnecessary energy should therefore be either surged to other, more needed, attributes, or else reserved for another purpose later.

Fourth Experiment

Continuing my experiments as before, now redirecting the flow from the Elvyr field (as I shall call it henceforth) to the Void itself, I have finally achieved improved results. The kwama did not, in fact, pay any attention to the atronach, although it was clearly visible. This called for further testing with other specimens.

Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Experiments

Several further attempts were made, this time with storm atronachs, and the Elvyr field manipulated to eliminate the noisy intradischarges often associated with these more imposing beings. The kwana attacked a traditionally summoned form, but it did not attack those called with my new procedures until the elemental's trademark sudden movements revealed its location. It seems that for kwama, the only way to detect an odorless Daedra is its surrounding energy field, or motion. Immediately, I saw the need for test subjects not dependent only on such a limited variety of senses.

Eighth Experiment

Diseased rats served my purpose well: as eager to attack the summons as they were my saltrice stores, although still more hesitant in the face of the modified version. Their initial hesitance clearly indicates uncertainty if the odorless threat was truly present, and not, as later suggested by my colleagues, simply due to perceiving a threat so much larger than themselves.

Conclusion:

While I have not yet achieved Amion's level of skill, the results leave no room for doubt: A far simpler form of magicka redirection is possible: merely focus on reducing an unwanted trait, route the unspent energy to other tasks or a longer summoning duration, and sink any magicka bleed into the Void instead of permitting leakage into Mundus. I have included my experimental modifications to a commonly-used formula for Frost Atronach conjuration at the end of this volume.

Only one uncertainty yet bothers me: does this flow method truly apply to all spellcasters, or does it require a connection with the Void only formed by fierce practice? Only testing by others will show the truth of the matter.

I am satisfied with the improved stealth and duration brought by the added efficiency, at least for the moment. For now, my focus turns to the other side of the coin: molding the summoned Daedric guardian's ability to proactively identify and engage targets, instead of reacting only to being attacked. What if the detection can be made more effective, perhaps to the level of more independent thought, akin to a Daedra ritually bound to Mundus?

Special thanks to:

The owner of an abandoned eggmine, for providing a sufficiently remote location to perform my experiments, who has requested to remain anonymous.