Lore:Vivec's Ash Mask

Vivec's Ash Mask in 4E 201

Vivec's Ash Mask, also known simply as the Mask of Vivec, is a holy relic of the Dunmeri god Vivec that was once kept in the temple of Gnisis, where it attracted pilgrims from all over Morrowind for the Pilgrimages of the Seven Graces.^[1] The mask was created in the early days of the return of the Sharmat Dagoth Ur. When he rained the blight and ash among the Dunmer people, Vivec helped his people flee and gathered them to the site of modern day Gnisis where they could rest. When they awoke, all of the Dunmeri people and even Lord Vivec himself were encased in casts of ash. Vivec, overwhelmed with grief, shed tears which weakened his ash cast and he was able to free himself and all of his people and then revive them and cure them of the blight.^[2] The mask was the center of one of the Shrines of the Seven Graces known specifically as the Shrine of Justice.^[2] The sacred Mask was left in Gnisis after Vivec made a potion there to cure a villager who had fallen ill but could not pay for the healing. The Mask served as his promise that the Temple would always cure those who could not pay.^[3] Touching it would cure people of their common and blight diseases.^[3]

It is one of the Masks of the Tribunal, the other two being Almalexia's War Mask, and the Mask of Sotha Sil.^[4]

HistoryEdit

Circa 3E 427 The Nerevarine set out to complete all of the Seven Graces and came upon the Shrine of justice and uncovered the real Mask of Vivec hidden in a secret crevice in the temple.^[3]

Gnisis was completely destroyed during the Red Year,^[5] but the mask itself was saved from Red Mountain's eruption.

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.^[6] 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,^[7]^[8] 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.^[7] The Mask of Vivec was to be transported to Raven Rock, the courier being one of the cities guard. They however had their own plans to sell the mask to a collector.^[4] The sale was interrupted and the buyer and seller were both slain, and the mask was retrieved.