Lore:The Legend of Fathoms Drift

Book Information
Seen In:	Elder Scrolls Online (Necrom)

The Legend of Fathoms Drift

by Naeruuna, Magus of Eyevea

A look at Hermaeus Mora as a Sea God and the realm of Fathoms Drift

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Sailors, be they coastal traders, island-hoppers, pirates, are by their very nature superstitious. They journey into a chaotic unknown whenever they go to sea. They watch the skies for omens and the storms for ball lightning. They see cormorants as the spirits of dead loved ones. They will not kill an albatross, lest they damn their entire crew. They carry a variety of amulets, charms, and spell-knots to preserve their spirits. They sacrifice to Kynareth, goddess of the winds before they set out, and they speak in low, fearful tones of Hermaeus Mora, who they call Herm'us Mora.

Herm'us Mora is known by many names: the Prince of Fate, the Gardener of Men, the Inevitable Knower. The people of the north and the Wood Elves call him the Woodland Man. The High Elves know him as Hyrma Mora. Among the Khajiit he is called the Tide King. And sailors refer to him as Herm'us Mora, and his domain as the unknowable oceans. The sea is deep and we know only its surface. Much like knowledge and secrets themselves, its power lies in the depths.

Whether you call Herm'us Mora a shard of a mightier power or a facet of a greater mystery, sailors swear by and swear at him. He is the Daedric Prince of hidden shoals, whirlpools, and sudden squalls. He tests any who challenge his domain and seek to unlock his knowledge. Perhaps the greatest of the legends associated with him deals with Fathoms Drift, where he places prizes from the sea in a graveyard of lost ships.

It is said that when a ship disappears without a trace, it is the will of Herm'us Mora. These doomed vessels have crews that ignored the omens, holds that carried forbidden cargo, or captains who dared to challenge or ignore the might of Herm'us Mora. Swallowed by the sea, caught in a maelstrom, or capsized in heavy seas, they are lost with all hands. They are dragged beneath the ocean, cradled by the Tide King, and at last deposited on the legendary shores of Fathoms Drift.

Why does the Spirit of Tides, the Watcher Beneath, keep such trophies? Why does he allow their hulks to rot on a forgotten shore while their crews are damned to wander eternally on barren beaches beneath alien skies? Who can say? Who can understand the thoughts and whims of the Tide King? And who dares to attempt to the answers these questions?