Codex - Niss'wo Sacramental Wraps

Blackwood Codex - Niss'wo Sacramental Wraps

• Ugron gro-Thumog Glass Skeletal Visage Now, this is what we in the tomb-studies tradition call a mixed blessing. Hand-etched glass, perfect symmetry in the carving, etc. It's a masterpiece. And that's why I can virtually guarantee it's cursed.
• Verita Numida Glass Skeletal Visage Come now, Ugron. I've never known you to be superstitious. Yes, the skull motif is disquieting from an aesthetic perspective, but Argonians utilize skeletal imagery in many Sithis effigies and idols. This definitely dates back to the xanmeer period.
• Gabrielle Benele Glass Skeletal Visage I wouldn't dismiss Ugron's concerns out of hand, Verita. I detect deep reservoirs of chaotic energy in the glass. It means to make some sort of trade, I think. Not uncommon in enchanted Argonian relics, but still unsettling.
• Reginus Buca Preserved Wraxu Feathers An array of perfectly preserved feathers? Quite a curious find. People don't often go to such lengths to maintain something like this. I don't recognize the exact species, but they resemble the betva-hen feathers naheesh elders often wear.
• Amalien Preserved Wraxu Feathers They're wraxu feathers! An extinct relative of the Elsweyr terror bird! According to Varid's Guide to Unusual Birds, they grew as tall as mammoths with tails as long as wagon tongues! Alas, they died out during the Reman Incursion's Great Burn, 1E 2830s.
• Ugron gro-Thumog Preserved Wraxu Feathers I saw a bas relief in a xanmeer near Soulrest that depicted a bird like that--devouring an egg framed by the sun. I figured it was an illustration of Argonian reincarnation, but now I'm thinking these birds might have some cultural connection to Sithis.
• Verita Numida Ritual Circlet We don't often see such weighty metalwork in Argonian relics. Too heavy for steel. Whatever the alloy, I wouldn't wear it. Reginus often accuses me of being big-headed, but even a neck as strong and graceful as mine would struggle under this weight!
• Ugron gro-Thumog Ritual Circlet Verita's right. I'd wager this is a mix of bog iron, nickel, and something else--probably imported. What interests me is these symbols. Plenty of hard angles like you'd see in any xanmeer-period piece, but I don't recognize some of these patterns.
• Reginus Buca Ritual Circlet We often consider Helstrom the immortal capital of the Argonian people, but I've found evidence of a struggle for regional hegemony in Soulrest. Greater coastal access in Soulrest allowed for more imports of foreign goods and aesthetics.
• Gabrielle Benele Pad-Sa Shark Teeth Teeth! Always a macabre favorite of mine! Most of the time we find teeth from terrestrial or semi-aquatic species in Argonian antiquities, but these look like shark teeth. Maybe these came from an ancient maritime operation?
• Ugron gro-Thumog Pad-Sa Shark Teeth Not likely. These are pad-sa teeth. Pad-sa sharks are scrappy survivors with a range that goes from freshwater to salty and everything in between. You usually find them far upriver along the coast--from the mouth of the Niben to the Topal Bay.
• Reginus Buca Pad-Sa Shark Teeth I gave up trying to identify Argonian varnishes some years ago, but these teeth are very well preserved--too well preserved to be a simple tool. I suspect they featured in some ceremonial dress. Perhaps to channel the shark's resilience? Or appetite?
• Verita Numida Niss'wo Sacramental Wraps Long strips of fabric, not leather. Unusual. We most often see Argonian fabrics in bandages or poultices, but these are pristine. I suppose they might have used them as a belt or other accessory for an Argonian of high station.
• Ugron gro-Thumog Niss'wo Sacramental Wraps They remind me of funerary wraps; the kind you might find securing a bog-blight's mask to its head. I wager these kept a mask in place too. The question is, what kind? The weave is tight and rugged. Not the sort of thing you'd imagine on a priest.
• Amalien Niss'wo Sacramental Wraps You're right, Ugron. This pattern—reminiscent of a Khajiiti cross weave—most often appears in Argonian martial gear. Tsojei grip wraps, armor and shield straps, etc. A wealthy warrior probably used this with a helmet of some kind!