Lore:Order of Arkay

Arkay

Order of Arkay

"'We are the Order of Arkay, the God of Birth and Death. Arkay is the great spirit who brings every man and woman, human, elf, khajiit, and Argonian into this world, and when the time is true, ends their circle. Arkay is fertility and blight, joy and sorrow. At the Order, we celebrate the Blessed Neutrality that Arkay stands for. While we do not offer strangers blessings, for to give favor or curse would be to upset the eternal balance, the Order offers much to its members. Our libraries and sages are some of the finest in Tamriel. Of course, few are worthy to be initiated into the mysteries of Birth and Death."

The Order of Arkay (also called the Temple of Arkay) is the temple dedicated to Arkay the Mortals' God of Birth and Death. They are generally the place of worship for him. The order reveres the neutrality of Arkay; it is absolute to them and, because of this, they will not offer strangers their blessings. To the order, to give favor or curse to another person will upset the eternal balance. Their expansive collection of libraries and repertoire of sages is considered some of the finest in all of Tamriel, however, the order is rather private and does not take applications lightly. The Knights of the Circle is their militant arm and the House of Dibella is their enemy. In the Iliac Bay, the order has many chapels, some of which include the Dragontail Mountains and Sentinel in Hammerfell, and the Ilessan Hills and Shalgora in High Rock.

Further Information

From the earliest rank of the novice, members of the order are tasked with protecting the souls of the living and destroying those that would temper with the soul such as necromancers and even Daedra. The order follows their own code of conduct, Arkay's three consecrations. Arkay's Grace is a blessing at birth, to protect the young until they are old enough to make their own choices. Arkay's Blessing is given at death to secure their souls from manipulation, and finally Arkay's Law which is given to the dead so that their body is not resurrected into unwilling servitude. Like other divine temples, the Order of Arkay focuses on several skills that determine a member's ranking in the temple, among these include the Daedric language, the school of Destruction magic, and medical knowledge. The highest-known ranking in the order is the Patriarch/Matriarch, or the Primate. Sometime in the Second Era, amidst the Interregnum, Countess Eselde Tamrith of Shornhelm studied at the Order of Arkay south of her home of Rivenspire.

During the Oblivion Crisis in 3E 433, Errandil, a Living Saint of Arkay, was present at the great chapel of Arkay in Cheydinhal, and was also one of the most outspoken crusaders against the practice of necromancy in the Mages Guild. He was among the supporters of Arch-Mage Hannibal Traven's ban on the black arts. At around the same time, the Aurorans attacked the chapel and slaughtered some of the temple's officials. The Divine Crusader defeated the invaders and purified the Sword of the Crusader in the temple's altar to the Nine.

Knights of the Circle

The Knights of the Circle is the militant arm of the Order of Arkay. Their sole duty is to fight for the temple as their devotion to both the order and their patron deity is absolute. Only the strongest warriors and loyal devouts of Arkay are considered for the knightly order.

Notes

• Rivenspire has knights of Arkay, though it is unconfirmed if they are the same as the Knights of the Circle.

Gallery

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  The Great Chapel of Arkay in Cheydinhal

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  A Knight of the Circle

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  Knights of the Circle

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  Errandil, a Living Saint of Arkay

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  Breton House Moorcroft sarcophagus

See Also

• For game-specific information on the temple, see the Daggerfall article.
• For game-specific information on the knightly order, see the Daggerfall article.

Books

• The Consecrations of Arkay by Punctilius Tyrus — The beliefs and practices of the Order of Arkay