Lore:Archmagister Mavon's Ascension

Book Information
Seen In:	Elder Scrolls Online

Archmagister Mavon's Ascension

by Nardhil Arethan

A cautionary tale on names

---

Few Daedra have ever been fully bound by the power of the paleonymic or any nymic, though famous examples do exist. This is because they rarely record their nymics anywhere or allow them to become known, either by mortals or by other Daedra. This extrapolation is added to the history of Archmagister Mavon Ules as evidenced by the recent discovery of Mysissa's pilfered notebooks. Direct quotes are taken from the source material, extrapolations are the product of the author.

In the year 2E 210 Magister Mavon Ules performed a spell of reportedly immense power which solidified his position as the archmagister for almost a decade before the title was stripped from him by Magister Varona Githrano. The spell summoned one of the lesser Daedra and bound it to Magister Mavon's service. Such spells were previously used to bind imps and scamps, but none had ever been attempted with Skaafin or similarly ranked Daedra. This is what made the now Archmagister Mavon's spell so unique and powerful.

Archmagister Mavon notoriously kept few records. This makes him widely unpopular both to the magisters who lived at the time (and who wanted to steal his magical secrets for their own benefit) as well as among historians who seek to preserve the past via written accounts. The Skaafin, Mysissa, bound by his spell, on the other hand, was prolific and detailed in her hatred of Mavon. She detailed her life with Magister Mavon, though in reviewing the documents, there is nothing useful for other mages. Most of the many books Mysissa wrote contained the insults and threats expected of a Daedra in her situation. Though one passage does suggest how Archmagister Mavon completed the spell which trapped Mysissa.

"If he'd won my name through trickery or guile like a truly regretful creature, then this would be fine. But no, he shunned Nycot and stumbled across it. The bafoonish mortal thinks he's some sort of mage-godling. Ha! There's more magic in a dog's tail! When he dies, I will call the bugs and crawlers of this realm to feast on his unworthy corpse."

The name that Mysissa refers to could be her paleonymic. If Archmagister Mavon somehow found a Daedra's paleonymic, then the origin of his Skaafin servant is less mysterious than previously thought. This also explains why Mysissa never wrote down any of Mavon's secrets, as it's likely that the spell binding her to his service forbade any direct sabotaging of his magical pursuits. Which is just as well for Mysissa, as this means there's no record of her paleonymic, nor of the ritual which bound her fully to Magister Mavon's service.

Mysissa's existence and binding to Magister Mavon where heretofore the subject of much speculation. Other magisters around for Archmagister Mavon's ascension noted that his magical power gained a significant and sudden boost while none among their number were impacted. He seemed more knowledgeable in the matters of Oblivion, to the point where some speculated that he made a pact with a Daedra of some sort. But no one guessed that he had a Skaafin assisting him or advising him.

Now knowing what we do, with several tomes dedicated to elaborate plans to dispose of Archmagister Mavon, I suspect that Mysissa had a hand in Archmagister Mavon's downfall. Where previously it is thought that Magister Dubere Dilmyn infiltrated Mavon's tower under the promise of companionship and sharing a new alchemical ingredient, the current theory is that Mysissa distracted her master so that he never fully unlocked the door (murder plan number 534).

After Archmagister Mavon's disappearance, for he did disappear—potentially eaten by the crawlers as Mysissa promised—not much is known of Mysissa or what happened to her. I suspect that after this time spent in Archmagister Mavon's service, that she quickly disposed of any evidence of her paleonymic and left this plane. Which would explain why we have no records of the spell or notes of Archmagister Mavon's contributions to spellcrafting of any sort.

I would say that Archmagister Mavon's demise is a cautionary tale against using nymics to trap and control Daedra, but the true and factual matter of the documents found about Mysissa is that not enough is known. Still as Mysissa wrote, "do not meddle in affairs you cannot control. The power of names, less so."