Lore:Ansuul the Tormentor

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Ansuul the Tormentor
ON-creature-Ansuul the Tormentor.jpg
Ansuul the Tormentor
Race Daedra Gender Female
Resided in Sanity's Edge
Appears in ESO
"The worst horrors come from the mind." —Ansuul the Tormentor[1]

Ansuul the Tormentor was a powerful "nightmare Daedra"[nb 1] associated with the Daedric Prince Vaermina that had the appearance of a Gloam Knight.[2][3] Ansuul's essence was contained within an artifact called the Dreamstone, and she had a long history of driving those who came in contact with the relic to madness and death through her influence.[4][2]


History[edit]

Discovery of the Dreamstone[edit]

The earliest known appearance of the Dreamstone in historical record dates back to the mid-Second Era, decades before 2E 582, when the Mages Guild discovered it within a vault of magical items in Davon's Watch, unmarked, in the hopes that none would notice its presence. Over the decades, guild researchers curious about the Dreastone's properties would attempt to study the stone, allowing Ansuul to influence them from within the relic, and driving them to insanity and death in all cases despite their attempts to deflect the relic's harmful influence through arcane wards. One of those early victims' driven to madness, proclaimed an "end to the waking world" and spoke the name "Ansuul", leading to the creature's presence being discovered.[4]

Aided by the breakthrough, more researchers attempted to study the artifact, and found some early success due to their use of more specialized wards that allowed them to survive Ansuul's influence for a number of seasons. Though it initially seemed that this second wave of researchers would succeed in containing Ansuul's influence and rendering her harmless, they eventually succumbed and met their ends when one was driven by Ansuul to "rend and consume" his companions. Following this disaster, the Dreamstone was placed in a dark vault under heavy wards, and a warning to stay away.[4]

Attempt to enter Mundus[edit]

Circa 2E 582, concurrently with the operations of Vaermina and Peryite's invasion of Apocrypha and the operations of their Hidden Kindred within the Telvanni Peninsula,[5] Ansuul emerged once more in the Telvanni Peninsula. The Mages Guild warlock Vanton, desiring to use the stone to study the differences between falling asleep via sleeping potion and doing so naturally, and believing his expertise with warding magic and long study of the relic's history would allow him to deflect Ansuul's influence, requested and gained access to the Dreamstone.[6]

Like researchers before him, Vanton's attempts to shield himself failed, allowing Ansuul to infiltrate his mind. The nightmare Daedra warped Vanton's mindscape into a place of nightmares, hoping to break his will so she could fully take over his body and power and use them to enter the waking world. Worried that Ansuul would eventually succeed, "tear a hole in the Mundus", and "infect" both the waking world and other victims with her power, the Mages Guild enlisted the aid of the Undaunted to enter Vanton's mindscape and slay Ansuul. The Undaunted succeeded in their task,[7][8][2][9][10][4] and even managed to retrieve the Dreamstone itself from within Vanton's mind, somehow bringing it back to the waking world in the process, though it is unknown if their actions banished Ansuul's presence from the stone, or if the relic retrieved still contained her spirit that would continue to whisper from within, hoping to lure more victims to interact with the cursed artifact.[8]

Gallery[edit]

  • Ansuul's projection overlooking Vanton's dreamscape

  • A gigantic projection of Ansuul within Vanton's mindscape

  • A memory of Ansuul within the mindscape

  • The Undaunted face Ansuul within the mindscape

  • "Dreadful nightmares" conjured through Dark Lady's Headrest

Notes[edit]

^1 Omens are powerful Daedric servants of Vaermina, who enter people's dreams to influence them, driving them to make decisions they would otherwise consider poor or objectionable, even influencing their victims to murder those they love, incite bloody conflict, or betray those close to them. They can assume various shapes such as Watchers,[11][12] Dremora,[13] or Wispmothers,[14] as well as disguise themselves as mortals.[15] As they dwell in dreams, they must be slain in their victim's dream in order to eject them from Nirn forever.[16][17] Ansuul shares many of the same properties as Omens, being a nightmare Daedra of Vaermina that resides in the mind and influences her victims from within.[2][9] Given the similarity, Ansuul might possibly be a type of powerful Omen.
  • Circa 3E 433, the Mages Guild Associate Henantier created the Dreamworld Amulet, an artifact which allowed its user to enter their own mindscape, and allowed anyone else who put it on to enter it alongside them,[18][19] similar to the properties of the Dreamstone, and the magic used to allow the Undaunted entry into Vanton's mindscape.[8]

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ansuul the Tormentor's dialogue in ESO
  2. ^ a b c d Researcher An'Xeh's dialogue in ESO
  3. ^ Ansuul the Tormentor's appearance in ESO
  4. ^ a b c d History of the Dreamstone — Researcher Marenia Colus
  5. ^ Events of ESO: Necrom
  6. ^ Warlock Vanton's Research Proposal — Warlock Vanton
  7. ^ Approaching a Nightmare quest in ESO: Necrom
  8. ^ a b c War Within quest in ESO: Necrom
  9. ^ a b Wizard Twelvane's dialogue in ESO
  10. ^ Torlema's dialogue in ESO
  11. ^ Omen of Betrayal in ESO
  12. ^ Omen of Fear in ESO
  13. ^ Kynreeve Ykal in ESO
  14. ^ Omen of Blood in ESO
  15. ^ Events of Saving Hosni in ESO
  16. ^ The Dream of Lady Sirali's dialogue during Saving Hosni in ESO
  17. ^ Events of Sir Hughes' Fate in ESO
  18. ^ Events of Through A Nightmare, Darkly in Oblivion
  19. ^ Kud-Ei's dialogue in Oblivion
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