Lore:Indrik

An indrik

Indriks are incarnate nature spirits that are affiliated with Y'ffre or Jephre, the Forest God. These elusive beasts typically roam the Summerset Isles, though they also appear in small numbers on the Systres Archipelago. Some scholars believe that indriks are divine beings: they seem to draw strength from the bones of the earth beneath their hooves.

As a holy symbol affiliated with Jephre, paladins dedicated to the God of Song and Forest have adopted the indrik in their heraldry.

Biology

An indrik bounding through a portal

An indrik emerging from a portal

Indriks are cervine quadrupeds that are covered in fronds, feathers, and fur. They have crystalline hooves and antlers. As herbivores, they graze on grass and trees. The majority of their plumage is localized around their neck, face, and back, with feathered regions growing sparse around the midriff and overlapping plumes trailing down the animal's flanks. Their tail is reminiscent of a feathered sprig. Fine fur is visible in the lack of plumage, growing longer as the legs descend towards the hooves. Indriks have thick fetlocks above their cloven hooves.

The largest of their plumes and the flat, rounded tips of their fronds are ornamented with a single blue, iridescent spot adorning the center. These large plumes are vaguely reminiscent of the ornamentation on the feathers that make up a peacock's train. The largest of an indrik's feathers are located over the flanks and behind the shoulders. Long, wispy plumes trail down the back of the creature's neck, descending into a curtain of long, vibrant fronds that drape over the shoulders and partway down the creature's back. Though their shimmering plumage is typically green, indriks can possess a dazzling variety of hues.

The indrik's forehead is adorned with a single vitreous horn from which magic can be channeled. The tip of the snout is crowned by a wet nose, and the beast's antlers are each flanked by a pair of ears. Indriks have four ears in total: each side of the animal's head is host to a large deer-like ear with an identical, smaller ear situated below it. The ears can twitch and rotate independently. The eyes of a typical indrik are clear as a babbling brook and glint with a bright aqua hue.

Dying indriks combust, leaving behind a pile of ethereal blue dust. As Nature Spirits, indriks can't permanently die, however they have been said to have multiple means of resurrection. Altmeri folklore holds that when indriks die, their souls don't leave Mundus: instead, Jephre plants them back into the land to sprout again as fawns. Rare indriks never truly "die", instead living on as specters that walk between the planes. These spectral indriks can be coaxed to manifest with exposure to the correct stimulus.

Behavior

Sharing similar qualities to the spriggan, the indrik is a physical manifestation of Nirn that takes the form of a majestic beast. Indriks are highly intelligent and highly territorial, and attack anything deemed a threat to its current form or the environment. When slain, it distentegrates back into the energy of Nirn.
—Prima guide description

Cervine whooping, grunting, wheezing, and shrilling are among the vocalizations produced by indriks.

Wild indriks are aggressive towards that which they perceive as a threat. Indriks are no easy prey: they defend themselves by impaling aggressors with their antlers, which glimmer with ethereal light. They are also capable of teleporting at will and unleashing a flurry of elemental magic from their horn, antlers, and hooves to drive off those who would do them harm.

Ancient indriks share a deep connection to the forest god Y'ffre, and are very resilient. Particularly old and dangerous indriks can be kept at bay by killing their physical form and restraining the spirit with wards. Such measures may be deemed necessary by mortal authorities, especially in the case that an active indrik matriarch's ancestral glade is located close to a settled area. Long-lived indrik matriarchs possess exceptionally unpredictable elemental capabilities and can call on the dead to aid them. Powerful specimens can also shroud themselves in mist and manifest a stampede of spectral indriks to confuse and trample aggressors.

Though they share an intimate connection with nature, indriks are very much animals: they can be tamed to an extent, and a fawn raised in captivity may require rehabilitation if it is to be released in adulthood.

Reproduction

Indriks are capable of reproducing: some Altmer even managed to breed them in captivity during the Second Era. Much like the spawn of mundane deer, juvenile indriks are referred to as fawns. The oldest indriks can apparently be quite prolific: there are recorded instances of ancient indrik matriarchs fawning herds of lesser indriks, much to the detriment of the mortal dwellings around them.

An Autumnal Indrik fawn

Some indriks are "born" by manifesting in the wild as a result of the occurrence of natural phenomena, without the need for an existing indrik to sire them. The conditions different indriks manifest under include specific phenomena that occurs at the turning of the seasons, and occasionally the divine approval of Jephre, according to some fables. They can manifest as adults or in a juvenile state depending on the conditions. As incarnate spirits of nature, their physical appearance is dictated by the season and the means from which they emerge.

The conditions for an indrik's formation can be quite particular. One autumnal breed of indrik fawn comes into being at the beginning of fall: its spirit stirs just as the wind chills and the leaves begin to turn, and the creature is finally born when a paladin of Jephre performs a deed deemed worthy by the Forest God.

Indrik fawns born of natural phenomena can have an effect on the emotional state of mortals within their presence merely by existing in their proximity. The sensations experienced from proximal exposure to these enchanted fawns range from soothing a worried mind to imbuing an individual with impregnable serenity.

Indriks can also be purposefully summoned to Tamriel by mortals through the act of combining four indrik feathers. Indriks produced through such a method are called from beyond the veil as opposed to being born or producing a fawn.

Coaxed from Beyond

Indrik feathers

Summoned indriks follow an evolutionary pattern with five forms. The indrik first enters Tamriel fully-grown in a pure or "nascent" state, with dull grey-brown feathers, short antlers and amber eyes. Further exposure to an infused stimulus will cause the nascent indrik to evolve: changing its shape, developing secondary characteristics, and allowing more specialized antlers to form.

Indriks transformed through said stimuli can come to possess larger antlers and vastly different plumage coloration. It should be noted that these morphological variations can also manifest naturally without mortal interference:

• Dawnwood Indriks have green plumage with blue spotting. Their antlers are enveloped in blue light.

• Luminous Indriks have white feathers accented by dazzling gold plumage. Their antlers give off a soft aetherial glow which has been compared to the stars in the heavens.

• Onyx Indriks are jet black with silver-studded feathers, and their antlers radiate white light. Onyx Indriks come into being when they are exposed to geological Earthbone essences.

• Pure-snow Indriks have bright white feathers accented with subtle hints of gold. Their antlers are shrouded in a pale white-gold aura. Pure-snow Indriks are imbued with frost magic, shaped to the image of cold winter. Folktales claim that fawns of this variety manifest when the first rays of sun shine down upon pure snow.

• Icebreath Indriks have frigid blue plumage accented with silvery white spots. Their antlers emanate pale blue energy. Out in nature, these indriks are formed from Magicka-touched woodsmoke in the silent moments preluding snowfall. Fawns of this wintry background can appear when the wind blows through the boughs of ice-laden trees at dusk.

• Mossheart Indriks possess verdant green plumage painted with spots of deep blue. In the wild, they manifest at the base of the oldest tree in the forest. Fawns of this variety sometimes form from Magicka-touched acorns as the first trees begin to awaken at the beginning of spring.

• Crimson Indriks bear plumage of a vibrant red hue with green eyespots. Their antlers give off a rosy aura, and they have the potential to form in nature when the light of a sunset filters through Magicka-imbued bird feathers. Scholars theorize that fawns sharing their rich ruby hues are born from the joining of Magicka with the petals of early-blooming roses.

A Nascent Indrik

A Dawnwood Indrik

A Luminous Indrik

An Onyx Indrik

A Pure-Snow Indrik

An Icebreath Indrik

A Mossheart Indrik

A Crimson Indrik

Cultural Significance

High Elven fables depict indriks as creatures of beauty, mystique and perfection. They have been described as regal, majestic, and proud creatures that embody the qualities of royalty. Indriks are revered as blessed beings that are "graced by the gods as the Altmer are".

The Jephrine Paladins are protectors of the wild whose armor and weapons take inspiration from Y'ffre's shimmering cervine charges. Antlers and a frontal horn are attached their helmets and their sabatons are decorated to look like hooves. Central to their equipment's design are the feathers that envelop their armor and weapons.

Though most of the indrik's cultural impact is localized within the Summerset Isles, the creatures have some repute among the druids of the Systres. According to the Stonelore Circle, Earth Indriks are considered to be spirits of nature rather than animals. One such spirit resided within the Earthen Root Enclave, a site of religious significance to the Stonelore druids.

Hunting the Divine Beast

Despite their graceful appearance and mythical depiction as a symbol of purity, indriks are occasionally targeted by opportunistic hunters. Their antlers are an appealing trophy, and their hearts, which have a complex flavor profile, are a delicacy that is sometimes eaten through ritual consumption by Summerset's nobility. It is believed that eating the heart of an indrik forestalls aging. Indrik hide is hardly ever used in crafting, even in the finest of garments. Historically, it's seen use a few times in sacred Altmeri relics.

Their ability to vanish at will and elemental proficiency makes them elusive and dangerous quarry. Expert hunters claim that indriks are predictable prey, and advise learning to anticipate their behavior. Summerset werewolves often collect and embellish the skulls of their most impressive kills, and indrik skulls are especially prized trophies.

Indriks are rarely tamed and used as mounts: it is considered a privilege for a mortal rider to be borne by the enchanted beasts.

An indrik corrupted through mortal meddling

History

In 2E 582, the acting conservator of the animal sanctuary at Sil-Var-Woad performed experiments on wild-caught indriks. An Altmeri nationalist motivated by the opening of Summerset's borders to immigration by Queen Ayrenn, she endeavored to transform the indriks into predators that would "keep the populations of the [other races] in check". The serum she devised enhanced her test subjects' magical ability immensely, but also made them exceedingly aggressive and impossible to control. The test subjects had metal caps affixed to their horns by the conservatory's rangers, and their pelts were noticeably greyer than that of a typical indrik.

That same year, Hircine chose a powerful indrik known as Tarcyr to be the Hare in his Great Hunt.

Gallery

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  Concept art

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  An indrik matriarch

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  An indrik matriarch in her ancestral glade

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  A spectral indrik

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  A Rosethorn Indrik fawn, born in early spring

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  A Sapling Indrik

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  An Evergloam Indrik

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  A Hollowjack Indrik

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  Evolutionary progression of the Nascent Indrik

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  An indrik heart

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  Jephrine Paladins and their indrik-inspired armor

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  The drum of an indriks' hooves whipping up a raging blaze

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  Indriks can summon a specter to trample attackers

Notes

• As a child, Queen Ayrenn had a pet indrik named Lotus.
• Indriks have occasionally appeared in the planes of Oblivion, notably the Hunting Grounds, Fargrave, and the Deadlands, though they are not native to these realms.
• There is one known variety of Oblivion-born indrik: the Evergloam Indrik, which is woven from the shadow wisps of Nocturnal's realm.
• Those who earn Hollowjack's approval through a sinister rite may be gifted a Hollowjack Indrik supposedly capable of tormenting the dreams of others.
• Faun Lords are capable of controlling the flora and fauna around them. The scope of this ability extends to indriks, which they can command in battle.
• Indrik hearts can be crystallized by being bathed in pure water for a hundred moonlit nights.

See Also

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

Books

• Y'frre's Sparkling Steeds by Melobrian — A treatise on the elusive indrik