Lore:Star Teeth

Star Teeth in the Crypt of Hearts

Star Teeth is a term usually used to refer to a group of seven magical prismatic crystals taken from the skies by airships during the Merethic Era. The term is also used to refer to the material they are made from, which even in small shards is considered valuable. These shards have been used in things such as armor. The denizens of western Craglorn use star teeth decoratively to create extremely valuable studded clothing such as belts. Similar crystals include Varla Stones, Welkynd Stones, Culanda Stones, Malondo Stones, Vakka Stones, and Stormhold Crystals.

History

Star Teeth Origins

The crews of the airships saw the challenge of capturing even one Star Tooth as exhilarating, comparing them chasing them to chasing a god. The Star Teeth are occasionally referred to as Ayleid artifacts, implying the airships that collected them were of Ayleid make. Ayleid beliefs claim starlight is the purest form of magical power, which would make the Star Teeth extremely powerful and valuable. Indeed, the Star Teeth where shown to possess the ability to counteract powerful Shadow Magic during the events of Shadowkey. The descent of the Star Teeth matches the description of "shooting stars", Aetherial Fragments falling to Nirn from Aetherius, equating them to the Meteoric Glass used in both Altmeri Culanda Stones and Ayleid Welkynd Stones. Unlike these Stones, however, the Star Teeth have not been seen to contain magicka. Although apparently impossible to control, the Teeth emit sporadic bursts of light. The true nature of their light magic remains unknown, but their potency is seemingly lessened by shade or darkness.

Second Era

The seven Star Teeth were traditionally held in an ancient ruin known as the Vault of the Heavens. Placed on the pedestals there, they provided a powerful magical enhancement which could be used to fight creatures of shadow. Coincidentally, a school for adventurers known as the Agea Relle was founded in the early Second Era by two Altmer, Nerien'eth and Alanwe, directly on top of the ruins of the vault. Alanwe accidentally discovered the Vault of the Heavens while exploring the caverns underneath the school, and found two objects of interest- the mythical crystals sitting on their respective pedestals, and an enchanted ebony blade that appeared to be of Akaviri make. After researching the Teeth, she attempted to weaponize their light by emulating their enchantment with a Welkynd Stone as a base. She hoped that their light magic could be used against Daedra and all manner of undead, or at least as reusable torches or paperweights should her experiments prove unsuccessful. Alanwe's plans were never realized, as her husband Nerien'eth fell under the influence of Mephala and killed her after claiming the Ebony Blade.

The Agea Relle would subsequently be abandoned and converted into the Crypt of Hearts by the Mad Architect, leaving the Star Teeth vulnerable to looters. By the time the crypt was cleansed of Daedric influence by the Undaunted in 2E 582, two of the seven Star Teeth had already gone missing from the Vault of the Heavens. Additionally, shards of a Star Tooth had begun to circulate throughout Tamriel.

Third Era

By 3E 397, the remaining five Star Teeth had all been taken from the Vault of the Heavens as well, with the other two having been forgotten to time. During the War of the Bend'r-mahk, the shadowmage Skelos Undriel tasked an unknown hero, the Soul of Conflict, with retrieving the five known Star Teeth, which he needed to fight the Umbra' Keth, a Shadow of Conflict created by the ongoing war. The Star Teeth had come into the possession of several influential figures in the area:

• The Witch Tree, a sentient tree located in Ghast's Pass in Hammerfell, had grown around a Star Tooth;
• Porliss Caith, an Argonian agent of Hammerfell in the ongoing war;
• Tanyin Aldwyr, a Redguard agent of Skyrim in the ongoing war;
• Lakvan, a Skyrim bandit working with Jagar Tharn;
• Perosius, an assassin hiding out in Hammerfell;
• Azra Nightwielder, the first shadowmage, who had disappeared many years prior;
• The Chieftain of the ice tribe of Glacier Crawl.

Azra Nightwielder, who was discovered and awoken by the hero, revealed that there were in fact seven Star Teeth, and five wouldn't be enough to defeat the Umbra' Keth. Azra warned Skelos Undriel that he would perish if he attempted it, but it is unknown if Undriel heeded his advice. The hero recovered all seven Star Teeth and encountered the spirit of Captain Nym in Glacier Crawl. Nym was a captain of one of the airships which had originally captured the Teeth; his airship crashed into the glacier long ago. Nym feared the plans of Jagar Tharn and Pergan Asuul, who both wanted to control the Umbra' Keth. Pleased with the hero's efforts to thwart their plots, Nym gifted the hero with the Star Coif, a very valuable lightweight helmet. Armed with the seven Star Teeth, the hero descended into the Crypt of Hearts and lured the Umbra' Keth into the Vault of the Heavens. This allowed the hero to defeat the Umbra' Keth, whose shadows were then shredded by sparks from the Teeth.

Gallery

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  A Star Tooth in the Vault of the Heavens (Shadowkey)

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  A Star Tooth (Shadowkey)

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  An Airship (Shadowkey)

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  The spirit of Captain Nym (Shadowkey)

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  A Star Tooth Shard (ESO)

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  A Star-Studded Champion's Baldric (ESO)