The Mask of Sotha Sil is the blessed mask[1] (also known as the killing mask)[2] of the Tribunal god Sotha Sil. It embodies his idea for a Anuvanna'si (Tamriel Final), whose one of many goals was where life would undergo a synthesis of organic and non-organic nature[UOL 1] (akin to the Fabricants).[3] Indeed, overtime, Sotha Sil's body would become more and more synthetic, and his mask also changed to undergo this transformation. His followers, the Clockwork Apostles, mimic this synthesis with modifying their bodies, as well as craft their headwear in the Clockwork God's image.[1]
It is one of the Masks of the Tribunal, the other two being Almalexia's War Mask, and Vivec's Ash Mask.[4]
HistoryEdit
It is unknown when Sotha Sil created his mask, but in the Clockwork City, his Elegiac Replication has a hologram that depicts him with it around the time he and Nerevar became great friends.[5] Though sources vary on its authenticity, it is claimed that Sotha Sil along with his fellow Tribunes murdered Nerevar.[6] He chose not to wear his mask during this ordeal as he held Nerevar's severed face.[UOL 2]
Sotha Sil had an intensive love for Dwarven industry,[7] and drew inspiration for them in his creations. Their influence in his work is rumored to be traceable to the time before their disappearance, with his usage of clockwork dreughs build in the Dwemer's automaton's image that were used to assault them.[8] One of his earlier mask designs depicts a more Dwemeri-like design,[9] which would later get sleeker and thinner by the events of the Daedric War in the Second Era.
By the end of the Third Era, though he was generally reclusive, Sotha Sil became detached from Tamriel.[10] By the time Almalexia came to kill him for her goal: to become the one true god of the Dunmer, uniting all of her people under one faith and authority - and destroying any who interfered.[11] Sotha Sil had nearly fully mechanized his body, with a full covering metallic mask to go with it. After the Nerevarine defeated Almalexia, her body as well as Sotha Sil's were retrieved from the Clockwork City by Vivec, who interred them in the proper Velothi fashion.[UOL 3]
Despite the rise of the New Temple, worship of the Tribunal continued into the Fourth Era and was driven underground. These cults were considered heretical by wider Dunmeri society and were persecuted by the New Temple.[12] One cult of Almalexia worshippers constructed a hidden temple in a cave on Solstheim known as Ashfall's Tear, just north of Raven Rock. The cultists planned to use old propaganda to restore widespread Tribunal worship,[13][14] and sought to gather and preserve many relics of the old Tribunal Temple.
Circa 4E 201, the Last Dragonborn was alerted to the cult's existence when they attempted to recover several additional artifacts. It is unknown if the Dragonborn agreed to help the cult or if it was wiped out.[13] The Mask of Sotha Sil was tracked down to the Dwemer ruins of Kagrenzel. It was initially retrieved by Curate Melita of the heretics who got caught in the ruin's trap. Successfully able to navigate Kagrenzel's Falmer inhabitants, Melita made it down stream into Stony Creek Cave, where she was apprehended by bandits, the leader who was the wielder of Ruin's Edge. The Dragonborn navigated Kagrenzel, defeated the bandits, and retrieved both Artifacts.[15]
GalleryEdit
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Early Mask Design (ESO)
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Mask during the Interregnum (ESO)
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Interregnum mask (Legends)
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Sotha Sil wearing his mask, post mortem (Morrowind)
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Sotha Sil with his mask (right side)
NotesEdit
See AlsoEdit
- For game-specific information, see the Skyrim entry.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b Crafting Motif 56: Apostle — Artificer Dalomar
- ^ The Truth in Sequence: Volume 8 — Deldrise Morvayn
- ^ What is the Clockwork City? on the official ESO website
- ^ Masks of the Tribunal
- ^ Sotha Sil and Nerevar hologram at Elegiac Replication
- ^ Nerevar at Red Mountain — the Tribunal Temple
- ^ Divayth Fyr's dialogue in ESO
- ^ 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 36 — Vivec
- ^ Sotha Sil, the Clockwork God statue from ESO
- ^ Mehra Helas' dialogue in Tribunal
- ^ Almalexia's dialogue in Tribunal
- ^ Heretic Dossier: Blacksmith's Confessional
- ^ a b Ghosts of the Tribunal quest in Skyrim
- ^ Her Word Against Theirs quest in Skyrim
- ^ The Edge of Ruin quest coinciding with Ghosts of the Tribunal quest from Creation Club
- ^ Die Cut Icon of Sotha Sil contraband item in ESO
Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.