Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

This was written by Adanorcil of the Elder Scrolls offical forums and of the Imperial Library. He gave me premission to use it in a mod, so I'm posting it here. I thought it would be good to use in a House Hlaalu home.



I stood upon the steps of fate.
A crossroads between the Ways.


I saw the Old Way, paved with tradition
With souls of those before, hearts of those after
With the chants of ancient hermits and
scriptures of ascendents in days gone by.

I saw that the Way was long, and that it came from afar.
Many had once walked that path, but its silver
sheen was now dull and matted by many treading feet.


I saw the New Way, paved with ambition
With wisdom of sages, temerity of the bold
With the constructs of golden engineers and
guidings of livings deities in their eternal glory.

I saw that this road too was long, yet it appealed to me.
Many had walked this path, but its golden
radiance was still bright and polished by many treading feet


I stood upon the steps of fate.
A crossroads between the Ways.

I went my Way and never looked back.

:goodjob: Solid stuff and well spotted that JonJon!

Hmm, where could we use it? A general book found all over the place? It sounds really great though. Keep an eye out for these people because they could speed literature development along.

anyone know what ways he is talking of? knowing ada it seems that its the psijic way and the new way of the altmer...

Nah, thought that was clear Hlaalu New Way = the suck up to the Empire and money, forget tradition, pride and the dunmer independance...

Possibly a title would make it clearer, like the Pathways of House Hlaalu or something of the sort.

it is like Robert Frost's poem about taking different roads in life... the one about the paths int he forests... liek the road less traveled

Hows about taking a phrase from the poem? It does not mention a House, but that is something we would take from context and placement... This is not an official House Book is it, so we might do well to keep to the philosophical or emotive keys that the Poem is based on...

at the end there are two phrases that fit for me: 'Steps Of Fate'; or simply 'At The Crossroads'.

Hope no one suggests: 'My Way'! That would bring immediate demotion and withdrawal of privileges! :alert:

Quote:Originally posted by IAMTHEEMPEROR
Possibly a title would make it clearer, like the Pathways of House Hlaalu or something of the sort.

Since it is Adan's writing, I'm pretty sure it's talking about the Psijic Order. Sure, it could be stolen from them and reinterpreted by House Hlaalu, but that doesn't change the fact of [what I believe] it is.

That makes sense. So is there something in the poem that would reflect such a duality?

... and if there were an organisation that the Psyjiics would likely 'resist' above all others then I suspect that Hlaalu would be it.

The Psyjiic way being a sort of death before dishonour philosophy - and that brings a new light to the death of Sotha-Sil. Maybe he saw the expansion of the Hlaalu as inevitable and there his own eventual subsumation by Helseth as one of those situations from which death could be the only escape to avoid psychic polution...