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Grim Tales - Lorkhans Heart - Champion of Fenrir Book IV - Chapter 26 P1
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Grim Tales - Lorkhan’s Heart - Champion of Fenrir Book IV - Chapter 26 P1
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24 comments
Lorkhan wanted an avatar to help protect Nirn with as he saw the Princes, and even the Thalmor, constantly trying to undo it ... or control it. Mora especially was interfering all the time (especially in my stories and stories by other people like Nataly and Liadys). But the last straw was when Mora tried to corrupt Lorkhan's avatar. Not only corrupt it - but twist Lorkhans own power to make a fake, undead, version of his avatar and heart. The heart stone for Grim came from Lorkhan (which I mentioned) but Mora wanted to put Grim's soul into it and then use Grim's connection to Lorkhan for power. He wanted to make his own version of an undead heart of Lorkhan in other words. Then use that power to merge with Nirn. In essence using Lorkhans own power against him.
That is an insult, and attack, that Lorkhan simply can't leave unpunished. Even if he can't win against Mora he would still need to address it. Mora over-stepped his tentacles one time to many.
As for the Covenant? I meant for that to be vague and it will remain so. It is mean to be a set of cosmic rules by which the Great Game is played and governs the interactions of cosmic beings to some degree. Almost like natural laws of physics in our own world or even Nirn. It is a cosmic law of how certain things are meant to be.
It is very difficult, to illustrate and write about this struggle for Lorkan, to get body and the soul of Grim for the reason, to fight against Mora...In the other way, you described it in a very believable way, how Grim tried to stay themself...When he send his last words to Eric and Wolfgar, I had some tears im my eyes...
I was a nice chapter as ever...now, I will read the next part
I like how Lorkhan was either confused on how to speak or that the fight between himself and Grim caused the I, me, we situation. I thought it was also well done that Lorkhan spoke in such a way that sounded like something you would read in the rambling journal of a madman (the conversation with Erik regarding "Self").
It is quite amazing how we can look upon the heroes of old. The Nerevarine had to sever the heart from the mortal plane to save it from Dagoth-Ur. Because of that, Lorkhan had no power to stop Mehrunes Dagon from entering his plane. Interesting that he had to watch Akatosh save HIS realm, that must have been quite difficult.
Looks like Kyne is arriving to save the island from the blast of LorkhanGrim as they make their way to Apocrypha. I wonder if Akatosh is watching this from afar, interested to see if Lorkhan does more than just go after Mora.
Neloth is the Legacy of Ehlnofey - as it does include men and Mer. Lorkhan could have referred to them as Ehlnofey of Tamriel to be closer but then I might as well have said Altmer which I didn't want to do - I was going for a bit archaic speech (or trying to). He also calls Mora "Prince of the Blood" which could refer to any Prince. It all has to do with the context in which it was said
Also there are so many inconsistencies in the web sites (and the lore although not as bad). One site refers to them as Men and Mer but another site says "This includes those who would become the Ehlnofey and thus the Altmer, who now blame Lorkhan directly for their mortality."
I knew it referred to both but I wanted to make Lorkhan sound more ancient, more god like, using older and more elaborate names then highly personal ones like Neloth and Mora (although Grim uses them so Lorkhan started to).
Poor Erik was highly confused. I don't know if you have read any of the correspondence with Michael Kirkbride or some of the lore bits on the creation theory but it sounds like madmen rambling - lots of nonsensical seeming stuff. In this case Lorkhan is struggling to explain concepts to "simple and primitive" human mind and it doesn't come across easily. In addition the "mind" of the avatar is struggling against Grim, who doesn't want to be "assimilated" like the Borg. So there is a lot of confusion over we, I, they, us, you, and the like. So "Self" was a generic reference to both of them as a unit and also individually. It was meant to be confusing - or at least that was my goal.
I actually really enjoy how different people see what I write in different ways - it actually helps me to get a better idea of where I might need to give more detail or approach things in a different way.
Now; Content wise I do feel a Little bit like Wolfgar... There is this Basic understanding that something somewhere went horribly wrong and not as intended by the involved parties; but full understanding so far evades me (maybe intentional on your part; as stated with the Covenant in the Sticky Comment
What I can say is that I do hope Grim will be able to Keep his own selfawareness stable enough and Long enough to eventually unmerge from Lorkhan's mind; while possibly remaining his Champion/possible Avatar for the future; should such an Avatar be needed once more. Even if I doubt Grim would be happy to be that Avatar again after this experience is over; should he be able to get his own identity fully again.
Really enjoyed the way you described both Lorkhan's Intentions and Actions aswell as Mora's Reactions; and I do assume that the two Storms fighting over Solstheim are Mora and Grim-Lorkhans doing. Your description of Neloth is on Point; especially his attitude towards the Nature Spell at the end. Beaten; Injured and still being the arogant brick he can be.
Great dialogue between your Erik; Wolfgar and Grim-Lorkhan (or more like what remained of Grim's own selfawareness at that Point) aswell as Avrein; Losti; Talvas and Neloth. Looking Forward to the continuation which I will read after getting a new mug of coffee
The opening was meant to be confusing as Grim and Lorkhan have joined minds. It was meant to sound a bit schizophrenic or dual personality as Grim struggles to keep his own identity while merged.
It wasn't totally as planned which I think I explained in the story:
What this means is that if Mora had not corrupted the heart stone (the one Grim got and has the stalhrim molding and runes in it) then when Lrokhan merged with Grim - Grim's soul and memories/personality/awareness would have been safely stored in the stone. But it got corrupted so Lorkhan had to destroy it. Consequently both minds are in the same body. It isn't a possession, where the mind is "locked" up someplace (like the dragon souls were in Grim's case), nor a soul exchange (like Neloth and Mora originally - although that was more what Lorkhan had intended before the stone got corrupted), nor is it a case of linking minds (like Hircine and Frea did), but a merging of both minds. Lorkhan simply didn't bother with finesse . Lorkhan needs his full abilities in the Avatar.
Lorkhan could have done different things. He could have possessed Grim (which might have been better for Grim) but that has some limitations to it Lorkhan did not want (mainly he would not be able to access as much power as he could as a true incarnation/avatar). He could have banished Grim's soul and just taken the body (something he would not do as it goes against his ethos). He could have just overwhelmed Grim's mind and completely forced the merger literally creating a new entity in a way. He expected Grim to be OK with that since to him it was just a change in perspective and change is good (again Lorkhan is a god, a somewhat selfish one from some lore hints, and he views things differently than mortals ... although it would be ironic since Lorkhan is a rebel god as he had issues with giving up his own sense of self-awareness so he should have more sympathy for Grim ... but well he is a god and Grim is not and Lorkhan was never portrayed as some super nice benevolent deity - he is a god of chaos, from Sithis). It would mean Grim would actually become Lorkhan's Avatar completely. He would no longer be just Grim though as he would have been merged with part of Lorkhan's essence. Some people might have been fine with that but Grim wasn't - he really likes his sense of self.
It was also a rush job in some ways considering the circumstances. Lorkhan was on fire and wanted revenge. Hmm are there any other possibilities I need to cover?
Anyhow it wasn't meant to be dissected too closely - not because of the logic (I can always come up with a reason for everything) but simply because Lorkhan is a god and there is no real way of knowing just what such a merger of minds might do since in our own reality it is impossible. Split personality is probably the closest only in this case both personalities exist at the same time, they are not separated. Also all this would do is bog the story down in micro-details that next to no one would care about. If I spent three pages writing a paper on how I viewed the different ways a god could merge/possess/join a mortal (and Grim is also not a true mortal being half divine to start with and that adds further complexities to the equation) it would just add needless detail to the story. More it is rather pointless since it is all fantasy. Yes the fantasy needs to be consistent and logical - that I like. But when it comes down to it the reasons Lorkhan did what he did, and how Grim reacted, is still hyopthetical and not easily explained or defined. As long as I try to be consistent about treating a similar situation I think that is about all I can do. What is a soul? what is awareness? what is memory and personality? If you start getting too deep into details you will never finish writing a story and it will just bore the reader to tears in most cases ... unless the story itself is meant to cover godly possession, incarnation, and avatars as a core part of the story/book.
I admit it could have been a little cleaner on how I described it and set it up. If I were writing this as a book I would redo the plot lines a somewhat and make it clearer why Lrokhan needed a true avatar and couldn't just possess Grim. Or possibly define just what an avatar is (a discussion I have had with Fabrizio on one of Isleens posts) and how it works. Really a god incarnated is the god itself in mortal form - and that mortal form is also its avatar. In that case it is not someone else but literally the god incarnated in a mortal body (I have also read books that get interesting if that body develops its own personality depending on how the gods awareness is attached to it). But a god could also use an existing body as an avatar if set up for that purpose - like Mora and Xavier. Mora does possess Xavier but it is an agreed upon situation between champion and god. Mora has also adjusted the body to work as an avatar. Still when Mora is in the body Xavier is pushed to the back - it is not a merger.
I have also seen stories where a mortal is "destined" to be an avatar. Martin Septim was his own person but he ended up merging with Akatosh to become Akatosh's avatar on Nirn. What does that mean excactly? We don't know. Did Martin become Martin-Akatosh, a new individual of both? Did Akatosh push Martin aside and take control (more of a possession)? Did Akatosh just give Martin power and link their minds together? Just how much of Akatosh had to be in Martin to fight Dagon?
Lastly I think if Grim had merged gracefully with Lorkhan as his Avatar it might have gone easier. Grim would still be Grim but also Lorkhan. I am sure that would change his personality somewhat but how much is hard to say. Yet Grim is very individualistic and very stubborn - I have portrayed him that way for all his life. He would very much not be happy about losing any sense of himself - it would scare him a lot and he would fight it. Lorkhan did not expect that. He expected Grim to embrace the merger. I suppose this paragraph is all I needed to say :p Ah well if I ever write a book I will make more effort to make it less confusing - but with releasing these stories each week it makes it harder to adjust things - you have to live with what you wrote before hand (at least I do - I hate retroactive changes to story lines).
As for why Lorkhan was so angry at Mora? I think I explained that in the sticky, as well as alluded to it in the story itself. If you need more details on that let me know.
Glad you enjoyed the story overall and sorry for the long ramble. Just trying to explain all the thought processes I went through when writing and thinking about the whole Avatar thing myself.
I think this long posts also shows that sometimes it is better to just leave some things (especially with gods and stuff that we have no real world understanding of) more of a mystery. Once you get into the weeds it is easy to loose focus. Consistency and logic, even with vague things, is really the only key requirements I think. Make sure your characters and story logic follow the rules and history/lore you have created for your world.
I admit it is hard for me to read about almost like destruction of Grim, since looks like after his and Lorkhan merge, nothing will be the same even if Grim survives his battle with Mora... and it was very refreshing to see the slimy Prince finally got very well deserved slap and became afraid, probably second time, given if legend about Jyggylag is true. I never cared about exact following the lore, especially given what happens in ESO, so I would gladly read the epilogue of Grim tales, even if it means Shakespeare like tragedy.
It was heart wrenching to read about poor Grim who couldn't even say goodbye to Erik and Wolfgar, so they got only bits of his message. at least Neloth, that old cranky wizard is alive as well as others in Grim's team. I can only imagine what final battle will be like for Grim and how it might end, but powers of Lorkhan are epic and no wonder that Aedra decided to get rid of him, since they probably considered him too dangerous to live on... I wonder will Lorkhan continue his past of revenge or not... And I also wonder what Erik and other lads are up too...
In any case I would look forward for continuation!
Grim does seem to be in a very difficult spot - on the edge of losing his sense of identity. Lorkhan is about change so I don't think he sees what is happening to Grim as bad as Grim (and his friends) would see it. Things will happen but beyond that I can't say as I don't want to spoil anything.
It is very appropriate that you mentioned Jyggalag. He over-stepped himself and was punished severely for it. I can see many correlations between Jyggalag and Mora at this point. Both threatened the balance of power ... only in this case it seems Lorkhan shall be the instrument of the Dreamer to address things versus the other Princes.
More to come soon! I am committed to try and get this all posted this weekend for many reasons (one of which is I can't afford to take any more days of from work to write like I have been).
Thanks again for your support!
beautifull description of the connection between the remains of grim and wolfgar and erik,...
i hope for them grim will survive this whole awdeal,...
Fighting a prince in his own realm instead of the nirn, interesting, i am curious to how that unfolds,...
I love Grim but sometimes things do happen ... but Grim has been through a lot since he was born and he has a strong will, and people who love him, so we can only hope he finds someway to make it through things.
I honestly hope, that Grim will be able to hold on to his mind and if so, that he will find a way to live on with this lifechanging experience.
Very well fitting music and awesome picture, I enjoyed this very much
I always liked how Martin was done in that story, if a rather sad ending. Of course he saved an entire plane of existence and if that isn't a worth while sacrifice to make I don't know what is. I wouldn't mind going out like that.
Very interesting start the Way Lorkhan and Grim seem to be going over what situation they are in and whats needs to be done, very coolly done. Great to see Neloth get his body back and Mora being ripped from it by a higher force. And off goes Mora running away when he feels he's in a spot of bother.... well he mesed with the wrong person this time maybe.
Very interesting and emotional seeing Grim trying to communicate with his loved ones while merged with lorkhan and also Lorkhan Answering to Erik as well. Very sad between grim and Erik.
GrimLorkhan shot off into the sky like Superman while gathering the powers of the Red mountain, what they hell are they up too, seems like there's going to be one epic battle somewhere.
Ah as for the ending going to get a few beers seems a good idee though not as good as Erics going to the Thirsk hall suggestion, and rotfl at Neloth,"Talvas are you taking notes....", Talvas "No !"
Great work Jon, was a very exiting & emotional read
Mora, to me, isn't a fighter. If Lorkhan was going after Dagon or Molag in their own realm I don't think it would go well. But in this case I think Mora over-stepped himself one to many times. The Unraveling (which pissed of the Caretaker), trying to get the Eye of Magnus to control Nirn, trying to take over Solstheim twice (once via Miraak and then again with Grim), not to mention all of his other meddling and plots. But really it was the Unraveling and trying to make his own "heart of Lorkhan" (which is what he tried to do with Grim via his connection to Lorkhan) that broke the Covenant of the Immortals.
I think people's personalities still show through even in dire circumstances. Perhaps more so as you see more the core root of them. Neloth is grateful but he is still a wizard whose life has been about knowledge and magic. I expect he would be interested in the spell. Just like the scientist who is trying to get one more reading as the world blows up around them.
Talvas, on the other hand, has had enough being the hero and mixing with gods and princes and demons. He just wants a stiff drink and some food.
Chasing Mora all the way into Apocrypha ? I know that Martin became the avatar of Akatosh and defeated Dagon on Nirn. But to battle a Daedric Prince in his own Realm..that doesn't sound like a good idea. They are basically gods in their realm. In the case of the oblivion crisis, Dagon was sent back to his realm.....but Mora would already be in his realm..and Daedra can't be killed..banished for a time perhaps. Sure doubt that a Prince remain banished for very long either. Curious to see how that confrontation will play out..and mostly...will Grim survive ( I sure hope he does...though I fear that he'll be change forever after this )
Heart wrenching goodbyes....just heart wrenching. Poor Grim hardly had the time to say goodbye to his loved ones....it's not fair. ( ......Totally struggling to not cry like a baby over it ! ...not quite working either.)
..Oh Neloth...the world is crumbling around you and you are focused on a spell......and even find the time to criticize it when the spell is most likely powerfull then he could ever dream of. Crazy wizard that one. ! Loved Talvas reaction about the taking notes.
I feel horrible for Wolfgar and Erik...
Incredible job on this part ! Off to the second part ! ( urg..I need to finish translating my second part too..doh ! )
Also on the cosmic food chain it might be possible to suggest that Auri-El and Lorkhan are two of the most powerful entities that are sentient (Anu -> Anuiel -> Auri-El and Padomay -> Sithis -> Lorkhan). The Aedra/Daedra come from the blood spilt in the battle between Paromay and Anu (of which Auri-El and Lorkhan are the personifications of). To me this puts Auri-El and Lorkhan on, at the very least, the same power scale as the Princes (and remaining Aedra) if not one step higher. Although I also saw lore on Lorkhan that indicated some "spirits" he had to trick or persuade while weaker ones he was able to intimidate. The Daedra just went off and made their own worlds using their own bodies to do so.
Lorkhan, in a way, is a prince of his own realm - that of Mundus. And if you read the lore you can even find the suggestion that Mundus is a lost Daedric Realm and that is why Dagon keeps trying to invade it - he claims it is his. It is unclear if Lorkhan tricked him out of it or if it was always Lorkhans. Anyhow that is all speculation based on lore bits. Consequently when I see the battle about to take place it is two gods having the battle. Mora has the home advantage now but I see Lorkhan as a more powerful deity then Mora (I tend to see all the Princes and Aedra as being one step below Auri-El and Lorkhan) and Lorkhan will have direct access to a very potent power source during the fight. He may also find himself getting aid from another unusual source.
Of course a major point against Lorkhan is the fact that in a way he is "dead" or at least bodiless and his heart is missing. Lore is a bit confused on his actual current state. Anyhow in Grim's world he is a full fledged and very powerful god even if his ability to interact is extremely limited on Mundus just like the other spirits that gave their "life" to making Nirn. BUT Lorkhan won't be on Mundus for this fight ... he will be in Oblivion and the rules of Mundus no longer apply.
But said too much already. Regardless of how lore appropriate it is part 3 will be written to fit the story not the lore.
It was hard to write the goodbyes. It wasn't like they had all the time in the world to prepare and say good bye sadly. It all happened so quickly and ... well the situation is very bad. Poor Grim did what he could. I was a mess writing and working on most of this stuff, especially parts 1 and 4. 2 and 3 are the less emotional ones - a bit of a breather between the two heavy hitters as it were.
Hopefully you will stay with me to the end though as I think the last part will be far more epic, in some ways, then even the battle of Mora and Lorkhan in part 3 (which will be mostly images since the actual battle will occur on a level no human mind could conceive of - what will be written is filtered through Grim's own mortal mind ... and probably the shortest story of the 4 parts).
I can imagine it wasn't easy to write to begin with...the emotion really shows..and you'll excuse me if I go hug my Plush unicorn and cry like a baby. ( Right in the feels, sir. Right in the feels )
No worries, I will be seeing this story through ! Even if I cry myself to sleep afterward !