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Mysterium Bestia: Imps

Tags: #Lore Event  #Imps 
  • April 2, 2017

    A Collective Study of the Attributes and Behaviors of Imps

    Written by and in the perspective of Elouring of Greenheart, nature researcher and ex-Mage Guild member

     

     

    17 of First Seed, 3E 433

    Blech! I must smell like the wrong end of a skeever right now, Hircine curse those wretched sewers and that wretched Thaurron! How was I supposed to know I wasn’t allowed to touch his stupid pet imp? And what kind of a name is Sparky anyway? Maybe it’s for the best. After all, those stuck up Breton, Altmer, and Dunmer fools would never truly appreciate my studies for what they are. I hope they all burn. I guess I can take care of that myself now that I was able to escape from the Imperial prison through the sewers. Unfortunately I am without my old travel pack and have nowhere safe to go. Well at least I have an inspiring view to look at while I begin my new journaling, too bad my other books are probably rotting in some greedy Imperial chest right now. I’ll have to find a nice cave to rest in for the night, no way am I stepping one foot in that blasted Imperial City! Besides, I prefer a fresh breeze over the smell of gluttony and mead that those inns have to offer; helps me to dream of Valenwood.  Oh how I miss the trees of Greenheart…

     

    18 of First Seed, 3E 433

    I’ve got it! After a club in the head by one of the wretched goblins residing in Fatback Cave (yeah…that didn’t go too well) I’ve finally thought of what to title my upcoming book that’ll encompass all of my research on the Animalia of Cyrodiil: “The Heart of the Heartlands and Beyond”. It’s perfect! Now to find my first subjects, I’m thinking to make the first chapter on imps. That way, that damned Thaurron will see what he missed out on the second he picks up my best seller from the front shelf of the First Edition! There’s gotta be a cave somewhere around here…

     

    20 of First Seed, 3E 433

    Imps. Imps everywhere. From what I gather, they seem to prefer holing up in cavernous areas however some don’t seem to mind being outside in the darker times of the day. After several hours of observing one outside of Sideways Cave and almost losing my toes to a few mudcrabs, I’ve concluded that some imps are less nocturnal than others and that they fly seemingly non-stop. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for the off chance that one does decide to cease flight. What a rare sighting that would be! I’m going to stay hidden for a bit longer and then potentially engage the imp to see how it performs once aggravated

     

    20 of First Seed, 3E 433

    So much for the “element of surprise”; this wretched poppy season has my nose snorting worse than an irate boar with a bad case of Greenspore. One bad sneeze and the imp was flinging spells at me in seconds! Let it be noted that their proficiency in flight allows them to be extremely agile, not a single one of my spells could hit it’s mark! Thankfully I had my blade out just in time to meet it’s unsheathed talons. My hypothesis is that once depleted of magical energy, an imp must resort to either fleeing using it’s flight capabilities until recharged enough to continue casting spells, or they may feel confident enough to defend themselves with their razor sharp talons. While on the topic of combat maneuvers, it appears as though this imp was using Destruction magic of the ice element. I found this to be quite the surprise, as the pet imp in the Anvil Mages Guild favored Destruction magic of the lightning element. What exactly determines their element of choice remains to be seen.

     For the sake of factual organization, what follows is a general list of the distinct physical characteristics of the now deceased imp:

    -Skin tone is a green slightly darker than that of the average cave goblin. It’s wings are primarily tan and brown in colorization while showing distinct marks of decay or damage

    -From what I’ve already gathered from other bestiaries, there are reported imps in both the Iliac Bay area as well as the Glenumbra region, however these having skin tones of bright grass green and a dark earthly brown respectively. Possibly other characteristic changes based on region?

    -Physically, the imp appears humanoid in bodily structure bar the remarkably goblin-like facial resemblance. While being incredibly small in size(approximately 3.2 feet in height) it seems to make up for this underwhelming size with incredible muscle structure.

    -It’s feet are completely uncalloused  (likely due to constant flight) however the imp possesses 10 digits each with long, sharp talons with signs of abrasion against rocks for the sake of maintaining their sharpness

    -Finally, the imp’s wingspan appears to be about the width of both my trusty short swords lined up horizontally; approximately 5 feet total

     

    I plan to venture deeper into the cave in about a day or two after I’ve concocted a proper Night-eye potion and thoroughly examined the internal anatomy of the subject. By the Nine this thing smells of the underside of an unbathed Khajiit! 

     

    22 of First Seed, 3E 433

    Just when I thought I’ve smelled the worst of what this filthy yet beautiful creature had to offer, while poking around its innards the gallbladder opened up and poured out a mound of gall that had a stench so great it would make even Molag Bal turn his head. However, being the intrigued and devoted researcher that I am, this situation called for some alchemical experimentation. Using the barbaric tools at hand (I swear, I’d have an easier time mixing these ingredients with an Orc’s Warhammer and a bad case of Ataxia), I have surmised the following conclusions of the alchemical properties of the gall of imps:

    -Appears to have a high poison concentration, likely due to the high acidity of the gall

    -The magical properties of the imp itself seems to transfer over into the gall thus giving it a fire-like energy

    -Seems to have slightly similar properties to Milk Thistle Seeds and Viper's Bugloss Leaves, which could make it a potential reagent for the creation of paralysis cures

    -Finally, the toxins within the gall are beginning to make me feel rather poised and relaxed, characteristics that are normally never found within me. I’d say my whole personality has shifted to that of an imperial shopkeeper!

    I’ll try and find more samples during my trip into the cavern, perhaps a local alchemist can stand the stench enough to do a more thorough experimentation

     

    23 of First Seed, 3E 433

    Curse this cave! My Night-Eye is waning, I have no idea where the exit is, and all I hear is the faintest sound of flapping wings. Surely any direct light would just attract all the imps in here, and the odds of winning against more than one is incredibly low so torches aren’t an option. Thankfully this cave has at least some light from the iridescent fungi sprouting from the cave floor so I can compose this log. That reminds me, maybe I’ll write a separate book on flora of Cyrodiil…gods know I love my mushrooms! Wait a second……MUSHROOMS! It all fits together, the imps sustain themselves with mushrooms!  They sprout out of the ground making them readily available to be eaten without ceasing flight, they are abundant in the caves that most imps reside in, and finally the effects of the fungi clearly transfer over into the general behavior of most imps! This would explain the differentiation in imps by region: different regions yield different fungi and thus cause variations in the characteristics of the imps themselves. Let’s take, for example, the overwhelming amount of Wisp Stalks found in the Cyrodiilic region. These are well known by alchemists for improving the consumers reflexes and speed, which explains why imps found in this area appear to have a higher caliber of agility compared to other imps of different regions. It could be a stretch, but I think I’m onto something. I’ll have to consult with some alchemical books to see what fungi appear in other known imp territories.

    I keep hearing growls. I think somethings coming.  I do hope this isn’t the last of my logs…or the last of my pants because I just soiled them again.  Mara preserve me

     

    24 of First Seed, 3E 433

    Of all the things I’d hoped to find in this cave, a friend was the last thing I expected. No I did not die, and yes I did find a spare pair of trousers. The imps swarmed about me, and in that moment I was sure I was about to be torn to shreds, but then something happened. After tossing fireballs at my feet as though to make me dance,  they began…SPEAKING. At first I didn’t recognize it, but slowly my ears grew more akin to what I was hearing and I could feel nature itself translating every last snarl and clash of teeth into an understandable language. Impish. They speak impish. While still trembling, I began to decipher what they were saying to one another. I was expecting to hear all of the different ways they were planning to devour me or which of them would get the pleasure of ripping off which limb, but instead it seemed as though they were making JOKES. They were mocking me with the inflection of a scheming toddler, I guess imps can be considered tricksters in their own right. I heard all sorts of crude and unwarranted jokes such as “His hair! It’s so tall. Could he be compensating for something?” or “I’d love to slash his face, but I doubt we could make it any uglier than it already is”, each of which was followed by a flurry of cackling and laughter. One of the group must’ve noticed the quizzical look on my face for he said, “The Bosmer…could he possibly speak in our tongue?” At this moment, I felt myself speaking in that of the Beast Tongue that most Bosmer seem to posses, thanks to the blessings of Y’ffre, which allowed me to fluently communicate with the imps in their own language. After some explanations and exchange of rude comments, I was finally able to relax. The imps had no intention of hurting me at that moment. They don’t understand most men and mer which is why they often attack them on sight, since that’s usually the response they receive themselves due to their off-putting appearance and tarnished reputation. Since they understood I meant them no harm and simply wanted to learn more about them, they were actually rather hospitable! No one is ever going to believe this, but I managed to make friends with IMPS! That bastard Thaurron thinks himself so mighty for taming one imp? HAH! That’s nothing to my five new fluttery friends. I will return with more information at a later time, all these mushrooms they’re having me try are making it rather difficult to write.

     

    2 of Rain’s Hand, 3E 433

    Well journal, I’m guessing it’s been a little over a week now. I’ve yet to leave these caves and besides a crack in the cave ceiling I have no sense of time. But, I am not sorrowful, for this whole time the imps have been communicating with me and teaching me. I feel as though I have become a part of them. This will likely be my last log before I fully compose all of my information into my chapter on imps for my book.

    Currently, the imps are teaching me in the art of summoning them! I would have never even figured that their inward magic could be connected to mine so that I could call upon them at will! Fascinating! I must show this to all the people of Tamriel! I know exactly what to do, time to pay a visit to the Imperial City Mage College…

     

     

     

    **On 3 of Rain’s Hand, 3E 433, Elouring of Greenheart successfully summoned several imps within the presence of high ranking Mage Guild members. Not being properly warned, the members responded to this act of sorcery with aggressive force, leading to the demise of Elouring and his imps. Both this journal and an overwhelmingly large satchel of mushrooms were found on the deceased Elouring. Declared a madman and a necromancer, Elouring’s research journal never found any fame in the eyes of the Guild. However his journal now lies tucked away in the First Edition book store of the Imperial City, available for any passing adventurer who seeks to better understand the ways of the imps through the eyes of the little Bosmer who befriended them

  • Member
    April 3, 2017

    Mannatee, this is awesome! :D I love the voice of this Elouring (ha!) character and am gutted he met his fate at the hands of members of the Mages Guild, a nice twist to the tale there :D

    -Skin tone is a green slightly darker than that of the average cave goblin. It’s wings are primarily tan and brown in colorization while showing distinct marks of decay or damage

    Do these Imps carry any diseases to explain why their skin is as it is?

  • April 5, 2017

    Phil said:

    Mannatee, this is awesome! :D I love the voice of this Elouring (ha!) character and am gutted he met his fate at the hands of members of the Mages Guild, a nice twist to the tale there :D

    -Skin tone is a green slightly darker than that of the average cave goblin. It’s wings are primarily tan and brown in colorization while showing distinct marks of decay or damage

    Do these Imps carry any diseases to explain why their skin is as it is?

    Hey thanks Phil, I definitely enjoyed composing this comical little story. Thats an excellent observation regarding the wings, I would've never even thought of that being directly related to a disease. Time to seek for answers!

  • April 6, 2017
    Good to see the WiP posted, mate. I think I already said in Workshop how much I like the info and humor in this one and I hope Lore Group will see more of you in the days to come. :)
  • Member
    April 8, 2017

    As Karver already mentioned it is great to see your article up here. Not only is your article interesting and informative, it's also very funny. Although one thing has to be said; poor little Elouring to go like that just isn't fair for such a great scholar :p.

  • Member
    April 9, 2017

    MaddMannatee said:

    Hey thanks Phil, I definitely enjoyed composing this comical little story. Thats an excellent observation regarding the wings, I would've never even thought of that being directly related to a disease. Time to seek for answers!

    I am glad you enjoyed it and hope to see more LG contributions from you, Manatee. Maybe horkers one day? :D Lemme know if imps do carry any diseases 'coz I have no idea!