Lore:Bestiary V

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Vamidium[edit]

A Dwarven Horse

Vamidium is the Dwemeris word for "mount". It is used to refer to the many different types of animunculi constructed by the Dwemer for use as steam-powered mechanical mounts. Many of these constructs were made to imitate nature, taking the form of animals commonly used as mounts by the other races of Tamriel. Like other animunculi, vamidiums appear to utilize soul gems or dynamo cores as a power source.

Found in:

Skyrim^(CC), ESO, Skyrim - The Adventure Game

Vampire[edit]

A vampire

A vampire is a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, which consumes the blood of living creatures. The vampires of Tamriel are undead, diseased persons who are hated, hunted, and misunderstood by the living. Whether they consider themselves cursed or blessed, or whether they have given into their animalistic instincts or have sought to rid the world of the disease, vampires are nonetheless considered abominations.

Found in:

Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Stormhold, Oblivion, Skyrim, ESO, Legends, Skyrim Very Special Edition, Call to Arms, Skyrim - The Adventure Game

Vampire Lord[edit]

A vampire lord

The Vampire Lord is a powerful type of vampire, being much closer to being pure-blooded, although they do not necessarily have to be. Vampire Lords are tall humanoid bat-like creatures with sharp, sometimes poisonous talons and small wings. These creatures can shift between their original forms and the Vampire Lord form at will. They are also capable of using magic, and can also transform themselves into a cloud of bats to pass small distances or even mist to become temporarily invincible.

Found in:

Skyrim^(DG), ESO, Legends, Call to Arms

Velk[edit]

Velks are a long-legged species native to Morrowind. They are only very rarely found outside of their home province, due to them requiring a large amount of kresh-weed in their diet.^[1]

See also: Sand Kwoom

Found in:

Lore

Vermai[edit]

A vermai

Vermai are a type of gaunt and sharp-toothed Daedra that serve as dark minions of the lesser Daedra lords. They are aggressive and mindless, and typically attack all who approach. It is said that the Vermai have no thoughts, and therefore cannot fear. They have sometimes responded to attempts at communication, but never in any intelligible way, considered to be one of the most idiotic Daedra.

Those who summon them can control them through pacifying helmets. At some point during the early Second Era, the prodigal student Faindor of Agea Relle summoned Vermai through alchemy to serve him; out of spite, Nerien'eth had those same Daedra torture him. N'Gasta, a servant of Clavicus Vile, summoned Vermai to guard his tower and kept them under control through helmets. The "Vermai Clan" served Zenaida Nacarra, aiding Mehrunes Dagon in his invasion of the Battlespire during the Imperial Simulacrum.

Found in:

Battlespire, Redguard

Verminous[edit]

The Verminous are bipedal reptilian beasts that were once common across Velothi lands, but went extinct long before the Second Era. Sotha Sil created Verminous Fabricants, artificial imitations that bore the name of the Verminous, to preserve part of the past and serve as a reminder of things that once were. The original Verminous were perceived as a "small", relatively unnoteworthy species. Knowledge of the Verminous had long faded from public consciousness following their extinction, as the residents of modern-day Mournhold and even some residents of the Clockwork City were unfamiliar with the species the fabricants were based on.

Found in:

Lore

Verminous Fabricant[edit]

A Verminous Fabricant

Verminous Fabricants are Fabricants created by Sotha Sil that resemble lean bipedal reptiles. They have long necks, long tails, a horn on their noses, and various metallic limbs and spikes, which they utilize to attack their prey. Sotha Sil created them as imitations of extinct creatures of the same name that once roamed across Velothi lands, to serve as a reminder of a thing that once was. He sought to perfect them (in his eyes) with an amalgam of flesh and metal. Aside from being quick, agile, and being able to fit into small spaces, they also are capable of spinning into their target, generating shockwaves, and as a last resort, self-destructing. They are powered by an animo core, and can be contained within fabrication tanks. Verminous Fabricants dwell in Clockwork City, but have in occasion made it to Tamriel.

Found in:

Tribunal, ESO, Legends

Vireo[edit]

Vireos are a type of bird. A type of dye was named after Violet-Crowned Vireos.^[2]

Found in:

Lore

Vole[edit]

Voles are a type of unpleasant rodent.^[3]^[4] In an probable case of miscommunication, the Duke of Crows of the Blackfeather Court once insulted one of his servants by saying they didn't have the brains of an inbred vole, after said servant had brought him the brains of twenty voles.^[5]

Found in:

Lore

Voriplasm[edit]

A voriplasm

A Voriplasm (a.k.a. an Ooze or Slime) is an amorphous blob of sentient green mucus, mostly found in Black Marsh. Known for having an insatiable hunger, these creatures can strip down their victims to the bone within moments, or can form spikes to pierce their target. Voriplasms can then envelop and puppeteer the remaining skeletal structure of their victims as a "voriplasmic corpse". The word for their name in Jel is unknown, but it translates to "death-mud".

It is believed that their ability to split into smaller entities is how these slimes reproduce. One Argonian theorizes that perhaps all voriplasms originate from one singular "mother-beast". Leading credence to this theory is the "Wuju-Ka", a gargantuan slime that was sealed away in Tsofeer Caverns in Murkmire. This Wuju-Ka was essentially a spawning pool, churning out smaller versions of itself, and had a higher degree of control over them than the common voriplasm. Indeed, it utilized them as its "eyes, ears, and appendages", and through these extensions is how it interacted with the world outside its containment.

Voriplasms are considered highly metamorphic and are able to adapt to their surroundings with unbelievable specificity. Voriplasms, or at least organisms very similar to them, seem to be capable of forming from unclean locations or diseased creatures, even outside of Black Marsh.

Variations: Bile Glob, Giant Voriplasm, Monstrous Ooze, Peryite's Glory, Riven Ooze, Spattering Ooze, Swamp Rot

Found in:

ESO

Vulk'esh[edit]

A vulk'esh

Vulk'esh are creatures of fire and lava that can be found all across High Isle and Amenos. Little is understood about them or their origins. They are known to live in underground volcanic depths, swimming through seas of fire.^[6]

It is speculated Vulk'esh eat minerals, but there is no actual evidence for this.^[6] Despite their strange morphology, they lay eggs to proliferate. The cooled molten crust of these creatures is known as "Vulk'esh Scoria", and it is believed to have magical properties.^[7] Their excrement has a tendency to harden into dense, heavy, igneous coprolites.^[8] Ash Hoppers can often be found in their wake.

Found in:

ESO

Vulture[edit]

A Vulture feasting on a carcass

Vultures are scavenger birds that live in arid regions and feed on carrion. Terror Birds are described as bearing resemblance to them.^[9]

See also: Buzzard

Found in:

ESO, Legends

Vvardvark[edit]

A vvardvark

Vvardvarks are small creatures found in the province of Morrowind, they were the result of a failed experiment by the Telvanni magister Varkenel in the Second Era. They are a magical hybrid that possesses scales, fur, and a long tongue, with their diet consisting of small insects. They are popular pets, and some Vvardvarks are even large enough to act as pack animals or riding mounts.

They were prevalent on the island of Vvardenfell, but by the late Third Era, the Vvardvarks found on Vvardenfell were wiped out by the Ash Blight phenomenon. Though due to be being imported elsewhere, they were also widespread on the mainland, notably in the Telvanni Peninsula.</noinclude>

Creation[edit]

Varkenel's Hat Trick, a comical re-enactment (ESO)

As recorded in his personal log, The Vvardvark Experiment, the Telvanni mage Varkenel considered the creation of the first Vvardvark a failure. His original goal was to create a kind of domesticated predator. His initial trials were aimed at creating something similar to housecats using creatures from the Ashlands as stock. Further experimentation would have increased their size and ferocity to create a novel kind of warbeast. However he was incredibly disturbed by the creature he created, considering its "cuteness" revolting. He immediately planned to destroy the creature but decided to first do some tests on it. His young daughter would see the creature and was immediately endeared to it, begging to keep it as a pet. He hesitantly allowed her to, naming the Vvardvark "Master Scaly-Tale". Varkenel's daughter would later request that he make Master Scaly-Tale a family, but he initially refused, not wishing for the creatures to overrun Vvardenfell. Evidentially, he eventually gave into her demands and would create more Vvardvarks. Some of the creatures would escape and breed, creating a sizable population of the creatures on Vvardenfell.

In just a few years, Vvardvarks became an everyday sight on the island of Vvardenfell. At first, where they came from was considered a mystery , though rumors circulated that correctly linked them back to the Telvanni, with some assuming they were created by a rogue member. The public had became endeared to the creatures, and many would be taken as pets. Eventually it was discovered Varkenel was responsible for their creation. Varkenel was given the honor of expanding his experimentation to allow for a proper breeding program by the Archmagister of House Telvanni. The line of Vvardvarks was expanded with additional colorations and configurations, eventually including large Vvardvarks that could serve as pack animals or riding mounts. Divayth Fyr would go on to say that Varkenel's failure was considered one of the most successful accidents in the history of House Telvanni.

Variants[edit]

Ashsorrow Vvardvarks

From the original experiment, several different breeds are recorded to have existed. The most common is the tan-colored breed known as the Demotic Vvardvark. Other varieties have more striking coloration; notably the Dozen-banded Vvardvark, with its vibrant tan and black striped pattern on its scales. Another variety, the Tuxedo Vvardvark, was reported to have scale patterns which resembled the plumage of the chub loon, and are theorized to have been bred to hide among the flightless avians.

Mossy Vvardvarks are yet another variant of this animal. They are known for the green moss that grows on on their backs. Some members of the Vvardenfell Zoological Field Commission were reluctant to acknowledge the Vvardvarks as creatures of magical origin due to how natural this variant seemed. Ashsorrow Vvardvarks search for food among volcanic vents, and are beloved by Ashlander children. Hivethief Vvarvdarks are a large mounted variant notably not created by Varkenel. They were instead created by Spellwright Domavas, who initially wished to expand on the Magister's work by giving the creatures feathers. While he failed at that endeavor, he succeeded in creating the Hivethief Vvardvark steeds.

Uses and Culture[edit]

Despite their recorded unpleasant scent, Vvardvarks are popularly domesticated as pets. Other uses for this chimeric creature were found, the Vvardvark's long tongue can be used as fastenings due to their elastic qualities, while the Ashlanders use their hard shells for armor. The mounted variety of Vvardvarks was adopted by the Mages Guild's Order of the Lamp due to their loyalty, surefootedness, tracking skills, as well as the belief that they can smell magicka.

Vvardvarks have become a part of Dunmeri mainstream culture. Felt plushies resembling Vvardvarks are a common sight in Morrowind. They also feature in Blessed Almalexia's Fables for Morning. Spells transforming people into Vvardvarks against their will were invented, and ice sculptures depicting Vvardvarks have been created for sale. "Varkenel's Hat Trick" is a performance in which the actor reenacts the creation of the first Vvardvark via a magic trick by pulling it out of a hat, though it is historically inaccurate.