The Elder Scrolls Online allows players to explore the world of Tamriel however they choose. For The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom I created an Imperial Arcanist to experience the new zones. This short exploration of the Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha zones will provide a glimpse of what players can expect to encounter in the new Chapter.
The Telvanni Peninsula
When traveling east from the regions of Stonefalls and Deshaan adventures can enter the domain of the Telvanni mages. For those familiar with the Dunmer, the flora within this area will not be surprising. But for others, it may feel like you have entered an alien landscape. Giant mushrooms dot the landscape, some of which have habitable towers.
When I first arrived, I met up with Leramil the Wise to get the lay of the land. Most travelers can expect a cold welcome unless they have had prior dealings with a Telvanni magister. Even then, the Telvanni can be aloof as they focus on playing political games to amass power.
The most notable wildlife in the region is the bull and betty netches. These creatures float their way over the terrain and are no problem for most adventures to avoid. But beware, creatures known as Herald Seeker have been seen throughout the Peninsula and should not be underestimated. They can prove challenging for the hardiest of travelers.
While most travelers notice other features first, I found the cisterns most interesting. I came across the Redrith Cistern and was struck by how it seems out of the way from everything else. I quickly discovered that the cisterns could contact entities not of this world, but I will not divulge the method for doing so here.
The sites most travelers will notice first are the Telvanni magister towers. Tel Baro, Tel Dreloth, Tel Rendys, and Ald Isra. Tel Baro and Tel Dreloth are currently occupied by magisters. While Tel Rendys seems abandoned. Those looking to petition a Tevanni magister for an audience may wish to visit Ald Isra on the peninsula’s west coast. It hosts the assembly of masters and is where the magister’s mouths can usually be found. They are the representatives most will need to go through before direct contact with a magister. I have also heard rumors that Morag Tong assassins have recently been near the towers.
Various other rumors have been flying around the peninsula as well. I have heard of a worker strike at the Anchre Egg Mine along the eastern coastline. No doubt by now the Kwama Consortium has sent a representative but I expect the workers could use a hand with whatever has gone wrong. If kwama wrangling is not your preferred way to pass the time? Then heading to the southwest may be a better option. Camaonnaruhn is a smuggler’s den of the Camonna Tong, known for their brutality and hatred of outsiders.
Should neither of the previous two delves be of interest, then the island of Gorne that lies north of Necrom city may be. House Indoril owns the island and its home to a portal mage named Dreynis. The insane and mentally unstable have been housed there until recently.
Those looking to see the peninsula’s sites will not want to miss a few other locations. The town of Alavelis in the south is the glass production hub in the region. At the center of the Telvanni Peninsula is a Shrine of Saint Vorys, the patron saint of House Telvanni. The shrine houses a sacred relic that draws travelers from far and wide to visit the site. To the northwest is Kemel-Ze, a site dedicated to the Tribunal. Rumor has it that Sotha Sil once had an underground laboratory located here. But recently the Painted Eye mercenaries have been causing problems in the area.
Finally, Necrom City is a location not to be missed. While newcomers may find the grey street to be drab and depressing at first, those who have a chance to explore the Necrom Necropolis will be surprised at the difference in the atmosphere inside. The Dark Elves honor their dead well-using gifts, décor, and color. The city holds all the amenities adventures come to expect from such a local. But for those looking to investigate more supernatural phenomena, check out the less-used building such as the Bindery where the veil between worlds can be thin.
Apocrypha
Welcome to those who had the misfortune of stumbling through a portal to this Daedric Realm, those who drowned, and those who meant to come here. Apocrypha is the realm of Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of Fate and Forbidden Knowledge. It has a twisted landscape with alien plant life and pillars of books scattered throughout. In the main “outdoor” area travelers will notice that the predominant color is green and that it isn’t unusual for black rain to fall from the “sky”. As you look up, giant Watchers can are overhead. Meanwhile, random portals open with tentacles stretching toward the land below.
This gigantic library has many inhabitants. Watchers, Lurkers, Seekers, and Tomeshells are most of Hermaeus Mora’s Daedric minions. But throughout the realm, mortal agents known as Ciphers can be found working to care for the many secrets housed here. Of course, not all mortals live in or leave Apocrypha unscathed. Many who cannot comprehend the knowledge they find become the Hushed. Their minds are destroyed and are forever unable to speak, wandering the realm doing the Prince’s bidding.
If arriving by Waygate or Portal, I recommend getting used to navigating a bit differently. The traditional sense of direction in Daedric realms is off since most realms are infinite in size. So, travelers typically will refer to the edge of a livable space in Apocrypha as the margin and then use the typical north, south, east, and west directions in relation to a landmark. At least that is how I choose to understand it until someone comes up with a better explanation.
Cipher’s Midden can is at the center of Apocrypha. It's a refuge for mortals where the Ciphers can meet up and exchange information freely. This small town is a collection of buildings held up by piles of books and connected by walkways. If it were larger it would feel like a cozy protected nook within the prince’s realm but as it currently exists, the surrounding dangers and alien landscape are all too present. Thankfully, Leramil does have a study within the town, and those that know her can find refuge there.
One of the other ways to reach Apocrypha is to die at sea. Ships lost at sea will likely end up in an area along the northern margin known as Fathoms Drift. Various wrecks have formed a maze of pathways and those who lost their lives still wander through the broken hulls. Some Ciphers have said that they occasionally see a survivor among the shattered ships.
To the south of Fathoms Drift is a vault known as the Apogee of The Tormenting Eye. This location may be of interest to those interested in arcane knowledge. It houses items of power and rumors once associate the vault with one of the Black Books of Hermaeus Mora.
The Disquiet Study is in the southwest. This library is known for the animated books that fill its halls. According to those familiar with Apocrypha, the books are typically benign but recently have become more aggressive. A female Nord Cipher has been outside the entrance. But has not entered the Study as of yet. While in the southeast, the Quires Wind also seems to suffer from ill fortune. This area is responsible for creating ink used to pen tomes in Apocrypha. The Ciphers inside are falling into madness from a kind of corruption.
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Most other locations within Hermaeus Mora’s realm seem to be different forms of storage for knowledge or fill a specific purpose. The Feral Gallery in the northwest is a menagerie of creatures that are unique in one way or another. A caretaker oversees the exhibits, but reports from Ciphers of unusual noises have arrived in Cipher's Midden. While the Rectory Corporea, which lies to the northeast of the Gallery, houses the physical form of volunteers who have agreed to enter some form of a hivemind.
Near the east margin, a Daedra clan that serves Hermaeus Mora finds the Cenotaph of The Remnants important, but no one can say why. Further to the southeast of the Cenotaph lies the Sideral Cloisters. One of the Ciphers told me that the Cloisters hold secrets and texts which are researched constantly by other mortal adherents. Be warned, so no one removes knowledge from the site there are safeguards in place.
In the southwest tip of the realm, travelers can find an area known as the Ravening Morass. A poor fellow named Hezenkh is wandering around trying to complete a task for his mistress. He kept saying something about a missing secret. I tried to explain that he could go a bit farther north to the Tranquil Catalog that acts as an index for all knowledge in Apocrypha, but he insisted that it was a secret he lost.
One area I did explore rather thoroughly was the Underweave. A Cipher sent me inside for a book they thought was lost and sent here for shredding by accident. This giant storehouse shreds books of fate. It consists of pathways that can seem confusing and convoluted at first. With time and perseverance, I navigated my way through and narrowly avoided a large Watcher.
It's much the same for most of Apocrypha, with time, perseverance, and the help of a good book challenges will be overcome. Just expect a few guardians of Hermaeus Mora to be somewhere nearby and keep in mind that it may be worth taking a leap to create an unplanned shortcut in a few areas where the path can appear above, below, or to the side.
Explorers of the Telvanni Peninsula and Apocrypha who are confident in their adventuring abilities, I have one final thing to mention. The Ciphers have noticed the appearance of Bastion Nymics. Of which there are four entrances. Those who wish to go inside need to collect reagents from Herald Seekers. But bring friends as the interiors split into three outer sections and one interior area. All contain enemies of great power. I managed to explore most of one outer section so far, which ended my interest in Apocrypha for the time being after my traveling companion dragged me out of the portal while I was unconscious.
