Lore:Boethiah

"Look upon the face of Boethiah and wonder. Raise your arms that Boethiah may look on them and bestow a blessing. Know that battle is a blessing. Know that death is an eventuality. Know that you are dust in the eyes of Boethiah." — Boethiah's Glory

Boethiah (also spelled Boethia) is the Daedric Prince who rules over deceit, conspiracy, secret plots of murder, assassination, treason, and unlawful overthrow of authority. Also known as the Prince of Plots, Deceiver of Nations, Queen of Shadows, and Goddess of Destruction, Boethiah loves competition and battle, and is depicted as a great caped warrior, often in a stoic pose. While typically depicted as male, Boethiah is occasionally referred to as female, though such distinctions are irrelevant among the Daedric princes, who are not bound by biological sex.

He is known in the Dunmer society for his association with Almalexia; the Tribunal Temple taught that he was her anticipation, while the New Temple preaches that he has reclaimed his right position. Heralded by the Prophet Veloth, Boethiah is the original god-ancestor of the Dark Elves. Through his illuminations, the eventual Chimer, or Changed Folk, renounced all ties to the Aldmer and founded a new nation based on Daedric principles. This worship of Boethiah supposedly came about when he corrupted the Elven God Trinimac (some stories say he ate Trinimac) and took on his form, tricking Veloth and his followers into worshipping him. All manner of Dark Elven cultural 'advances' are attributed to Boethiah, from philosophy to magic to 'responsible' architecture. Ancient Velothi allegories are foundation stories of Chimeri struggle where Boethiah uniformly succeeds against enemies of every type.

Despite the dark undertones of his sphere and influence on Tamriel, Boethiah is considered by some to be one of the "good" Daedra. Boethiah is considered to be allied with the Temple of Stendarr and his enemies are Ebonarm, Molag Bal, and Peryite. He can be summoned on Gauntlet (Sun's Dusk 2nd). Boethiah's prized servants are a race known as the Hunger, foul creatures that are eternally bone thin. Oddly, the Hunger are also found in Sheogorath's Realm.

Artifacts

Ebony Mail

The Ebony Mail is a Daedric artifact created by the Daedric Prince Boethiah. In appearance it looks like an ebony suit of armor, or often simply a cuirass. It can either be medium or heavy in weight. The artifact grants its wearer resistance to fire and magical attacks, magical protection from physical blows, quieter movements and the ability to poison enemies who get too close. The artifact was created before recorded history by Boethiah, and it is Boethiah alone who determines who should possess the Mail and for how long a time.

The Ebony Mail was uncovered in Black Marsh by the Eternal Champion during the Imperial Simulacrum. Just before the events of the Warp in the West, an unknown agent of the Blades in the Iliac Bay area summoned Boethiah in a search for power. In return for killing an innocent spellsword who had displeased the Prince, the agent was gifted with the Ebony Mail from a worshipper of Boethiah. During the play A Hypothetical Treachery, a group of adventurers (Malvasian, Inzoliah, Dolcettus and Schiavas) recover the Ebony Mail from the legendary Eldengrove of Valenwood. In the end, Inzoliah alone is left alive and sells the artifact to the king of Silvenar.

In 3E 427, the Nerevarine was sent by the Tribunal Temple at the request of Archcanon Tholer Saryoni to make a pilgrimage to Mount Assarnibibi, where Molag Bal oversaw the ninety-nine lovers of Boethiah, who gave birth to Almalexia. Upon completing the pilgrimage, the Nerevarine received the Ebony Mail and brought it to Tholer Saryoni. The archcanon wouldn't accept it, saying it would be put to better use by the Nerevarine. The Nerevarine later sold it to Torasa Aram, who put it on display in the Mournhold Museum of Artifacts. In 4E 201, Boethiah tasked the Last Dragonborn with assassinating the Prince's previous champion and his group of bandits. The Dragonborn retrieved the Ebony Mail from the corpse of the ex-champion.

Fearstruck

Fearstruck was a Daedric artifact created by the Daedric Prince Boethiah. It took the form of a shield. It belonged to Lyrisius, a hero from Tamriel famous for leading his army against the Akaviri slavetraders in their homeland of Akavir. The shield was utterly destroyed in the First Era by the fiery breath of a wyrm who Lyrisius encountered after his army was routed. No other reference has ever been made to the shield outside this legend.

Goldbrand

The Goldbrand is an ancient artifact, which takes the form of a golden katana. It was created by the dragons of the North. According to the legends of thieves, it was given to a great knight who was sworn to protect the dragons. It contains the power of the Daedric Prince Boethiah, and burns those that it strikes. The sword is said to have a more powerful form known as Eltonbrand, which lends its wielder stamina and greater skill in battle.

In 3E 427, the Nerevarine discovered the sunken shrine to Boethiah beneath the waves, west of the small village of Hla Oad in the Bitter Coast region of Vvardenfell. The Daedra was upset that his shrine had been allowed to remain in ruins, and ordered the Nerevarine to erect a new shrine in return for the Goldbrand. The Nerevarine funded an orc sculptor to create the shrine at Khartag Point, a landmark northwest of Gnaar Mok. When the statue was complete, Boethiah rewarded the Nerevarine with the Goldbrand, which was later rumored to have transformed into Eltonbrand. Goldbrand was sold to Torasa Aram and put on display in the Mournhold Museum of Artifacts that same year. In 3E 433, the Champion of Cyrodiil visited the Realm of Boethia and partook in the Tournament of Ten Bloods. After defeating all nine of Boethiah's Chosen in mortal combat, Boethiah declared the Champion as his Chosen One, gifting the Goldbrand as a boon.

In 4E 175, Goldbrand was supposedly wielded by Emperor Titus Mede II in the Battle of the Red Ring against the Aldmeri Dominion, although this has never been officially confirmed by the Imperial government.

Realm

The Realm of Boethia is a realm of Oblivion, created and ruled over by Boethia, the Daedric Prince of Deceit. The realm consists of stormy skies, volcanic islands and lava seas, similar to the Deadlands. It has also been described as a country of labyrinthine policy and betrayals, with maze gardens and twisted towers. It is sometimes referred to as Attribution's Share or Snake Mount.