Lore:Wing of the Netch

Wing of the Netch
Type	Plane
Realm	Aurbis
Appears in	ESO

Wing of the Netch

The Wing of the Netch is a pocket realm belonging to the Luminary Netch. It was shaped and hewn into being in the same way it chose its form. The reason for the realm's formation was unknown, though the Luminary Indrik theorized that the realms of the Luminaries had formed due to the wisdom of Aetherius, which did not wish for the Luminaries to be both alone and wandering.

The realm resembles a seaside domain bathed in sunlight. As with the realms of all Luminaries, it had a warded door and a key which one had to use to enter it.

History

Creation

The realm is as old as the Netch, created at the time of its birth. It was formed at some point after the creation of the Wing of the Indrik and the Wing of the Gryphon.

Birth of Scribing

The Scholarium beneath Eyevea

The door to the Wing of the Netch

At some point after 1E 2250, when Ulfsild had already located the Wing of the Indrik and the Wing of the Gryphon, she'd also encounter the Netch. While studying in the great library of the Scholarium beneath Eyevea, Ulfsild felt something tugging at her skirt. Expecting The Fox, she turned around but found nothing. Nonetheless she suddenly felt lighter, as if whatever force had tugged her skirt simply wanted her to look up and was playing a game. The event repeated twice, but nothing showed itself. The next day Ulfsild found her books arranged in the shape of a giant squirrel. The tugging soon returned, but Ulfsild ignored it. The playful presence than lifted the book she held from her hands, prompting her to chase it. The chase brought Ulfsild to an abandoned room, within which she felt an air of power, less serious than either The Gryphon or The Indrik. The space was like the room of a child or the studio of an artist, full of creativity and joy. Upon entering, Ulfsild suddenly found herself in a seaside domain bathed in sunlight. Within she found a large glowing netch, bobbing joyfully in the breeze. Knowing the Luminary meant her no harm, Ulfsild approached the creature, which welcomed her as a friend.

Before the doors to their wings were sealed, the Luminaries, including The Netch, fed the altar their strength. With their strength fueling it, the altar could achieve incredible feats of magic, allowing it to "shape the very heart of magic itself" and translate its very essence into mortal hands with the Luminary as the intermediary, thereby changing, or rewriting, both the magic and the mortal, as the practicioner scrawled their soul upon the page. The power of The Netch itself caused new Ley Line activity to take place across Tamriel, reverberating across it, and thus making Affix Scripts and Luminous Ink appear across the land. Eventually, the Scholarium was lost along with Eyevea, which it was located under, transported to the Shivering Isles due to a bargain Shalidor made with the Daedric Prince Sheogorath in exchange for the Folium Discognitum.

With the doors closed, the altar became dormant. Without that beating heart, the mastery of Scribing was believed to stagnate. The Scholarium itself was not discovered, however, for it had been warded against mages, Princes, and powers, long ago, and those defenses held strong even in the Shivering Isles.

Rediscovery of Scribing

A projection of the Luminary Netch

In 2E 582, either before or after Eyevea was returned to Tamriel by Shalidor and the Mages Guild, the Scholarium was rediscovered by a group of knights from the Order of the Lamp. During their arrival, complications arose, necessitating the sealing of the doors to prevent a catastrophe, as the once dormant altar became unstable, threatening the lives of everyone present. The disaster was prevented due to the intervention of the Vestige, who replaced the unstable focusing crystal. This potentially also prevented the discovery of the Scholarium by Sheogorath, an event which would've been catastrophic.

After the magic was calmed, the Scholarium's caretaker, the Luminary Crow, directed the Vestige to seek out the other Luminaries and gain their support in order to return their strength to the altar. An act equated to inheriting Ulfsild's legacy and leaving a mark on spellcraft itself.

The Inheritor of the Scholarium retraced Ulfsild's footsteps, discovering the fable and keys, breaking the wards, and entering the Wing of the Netch to reconnect the Scholarium with it. The Netch gave the Inheritor a series of games to play in order to make people feel lighter and have them see how buoyant life can be. The Netch had the Inheritor slay beasts in the Imperial City and Vvardenfell gather tokens, catch Luminary-Blessed Fish, and deal with a Mirrormoor Incursion. With its games done, The Netch gave the Inheritor one final task. A man's father was dying and his regrets had caused his soul to splinter and manifest in multiple locations. Though the power of The Netch was keeping him alive and preventing him from crossing into the afterlife, even a Luminary's power could not hold off the call of Aetherius forever and, indeed, a powerful Wraith had already been dispatched to take the man's soul there. The Inheritor repelled the wraith, and healed the man's soul, saving him.

Aut'arioth, the Inheritor's Bane

The Luminaries of Magic

With its trials completed, The Netch granted the Sigil of the Netch to the Inheritor. Placed at the altar, the Sigil restored the connection between the realm of The Netch and the Scholarium, and The Netch's strength flowed into the altar once more. This reconnection led to the great power of The Netch reverberating and causing new Ley Line activity across Tamriel, thus making Affix Scripts and Luminous Ink appear across the land.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Elder Scrolls Online article.