- "Indeed. By blood, and sorcery, and accursed rite, I proclaim a new breed of evil. You shall wander the shadows of Tamriel like a bottomless vessel—a child of hunger and delight. Drink deep from the world, and you shall be rewarded."" —Lamae Bal
The Cult of Lamae Bal (who is also known as Lamae Beolfag, the Blood Matron or Mother Lamae) is a cult of vampires with the core creeds of despising both Arkay and Molag Bal and subjugating their foes. The vampires of this cult call themselves Scions and consider all other vampires to be victims, akin to diseased animals who they must lead like a flock. Mortals are treated much worse, seen as nothing more than food. Lamae Bal sees Scions as her children and blesses them with strength, wrath and beauty far beyond ordinary vampires. She actively encourages her Scions to feed upon mortals, and considers other vampires too fearful of discovery. Through dark magic and sorcery she altered her bloodline to incentivize this, making her Scions grow stronger by feasting, unlike others who grow greater strength through starvation. Despite their tenets and blessings, Lamae does not force her children to serve, leaving it as their choice, even if she would rather see her Scions unite to destroy their foes.[1][2][3]
The Rite of the ScionEdit
- "Arkay the Forsaker, we curse you. You left us to suffer in darkness."
- "But we survived. And in darkness, we grew."
- "Now, we feed upon your followers. We will use their stolen strength to conquer and consume you."
- "Molag Bal, Father of Torment, we curse you. You sought to poison us with your blood."
- "But we survived. And from your poison, we grew."
- "King of Corruption, your children are coming. We will defile and destroy you."
- "We step away from the light. We sacrifice the frailty of breath."
- "From the dead blood of our Mother, we live unburdened. Her curse is our blessing. Her fury, our grace."
—The Covenant of the Scion [1]
To join the cult, a mortal infected by noxiphilic sanguivoria must find their way to one Lamae's shrines in the wilds of Tamriel. At these sites, a portal to the Blood Matron's Crypt will open for those worthy enough to embrace the gift. Once inside, the ceremony takes place. The mortal takes the name of Initiate and a "sponsor" Scion is addressed as Bloodspeaker. The Bloodspeaker prepares effigies to Molag Bal and Arkay, whilst the Initiate drinks from two basins, of suffering and of loss, learning the story of Lamae Bal from each one. During the story, the Initiate defiles the effigies and once this task is done, they present themselves to Mother Lamae to be fully exsanguinated. If they're deemed worthy, the Initiate is revived with the blood of the Matron herself, becoming a Scion.[4][1][2][3][5]
Lamae then teaches the fledgling Scion how to use their gifts, guiding them in their new-found power whilst having them feast and prey upon soon-to-be victims. The most special of these gifts is the form of the Blood Scion, a powerful transformation intended to be a perfected version of Molag Bal's own Vampire Lords.[4][3] After the ceremony comes to an end, once the new Scion leaves the crypt, their memories of the place will dwindle. Eventually, once the fledgling becomes a master of their powers, they too can initiate new vampires into the cult.[3][6] This ritual is the only way for one corrupted by Molag Bal, such as a soul shriven, to become a vampire. In fact, the Vestige was closely watched by the cult for this very reason, though it is unknown if they ever became a vampire.[2]
See AlsoEdit
BooksEdit
- Rite of the Scion — An overview of vampires and their relationship with Lamae Bal
- Opusculus Lamae Bal ta Mezzamortie by Mabei Aywenil, Scribe — A brief account of Lamae Bal and the Restless Death
- Noxiphilic Sanguivoria by Cinna Scholasticus — An overview of a vampirism strain common during the Second Era
GalleryEdit
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The Blood Matron's Crypt
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Mother Lamae
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A Blood Scion alongside vampires
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A vampire using their gift of evisceration
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A vampire using their gift of blood frenzy
