The Elder Scrolls Treasury III - The Imperial Library

Imperial Cult DoctrineImperial Cult Doctrine"We look to the Nine Divines as models for living a good and virtuous life. Each of the Ninerepresent different aspects of life, and how it should be lived. But the simplest statement of ourdoctrines is −− help and protect one another. The stronger one is, the wealthier one is, the moreone bears responsibility for helping and protecting others. One's first duty, of course, is to one'sfellow members of the Imperial Cult. But after that, one should help and protect any needypersons. We also say −− do not harm one another. It is forbidden to attack another person of theImperial cult, and of course, forbidden to kill another member. It is forbidden to steal from anothermember, whether by open theft or by covert pickpocketing. It is forbidden to trespass upon theprivate property of another member −− private property being understood to be anything behind alocked door. Break any one of these rules, and be expelled from the cult."Imperial Cult RanksThe ten ranks of status in the Imperial cult are, from lowest rank to highest rank: Rank One,Layman; Rank Two, Novice; Rank Three, Initiate; Rank Four, Acolyte; Rank Five, Adept; RankSix, Disciple; Rank Seven, Oracle; Rank Eight, Invoker; Rank Nine, Theurgist; and Rank Ten,Primate.Imperial Cult Shrines→ Ald'ruhn's Imperial cult shrine is in → Fort Buckmoth, south of town. The altar there cures →disease and → poison. Cocistian Quaspus, the → apothecary, sells → cure potions, and they alsohave a → savant, an → enchanter, and a → trader. → Balmora's Imperial cult shrine is outside oftown to the southeast, in → Fort Moonmoth. Aldasi Thirothran is the priest in charge there. Thealtar there cures disease and poison, and they offer various other services as well. → Ebonheart'sImperial cult shrine is in a small walled keep in the far western end of Castle Ebonheart. The altarthere cures disease and poison. Lalatia Varian is the Imperial Priestess, Synnolian Tunifus, theMara → Healer, Kaye the Zenithar Trader, and Iulus Truptor, the Stendarr Savant. → Pelagiad'sImperial cult shrine is in → Fort Pelagiad, at the eastern end of the main street. The altar therecures disease and poison, and Ygfa, the healer, sells cure potions. The → Gnisis Imperial cultshrine is in → Fort Darius at the far east edge of town. The altar there cures disease and poison.Chaplain Ogrul is the cult Healer for the Deathshead → Legion garrison, but he also serves thecivilian populace as well.Imperial CultureImperial culture is a pragmatic melting pot of the various contrasting cultures of the → Imperialprovinces, unified by a strong hereditary emperor and bureaucracy, the rule of → law, a powerfulprofessional army, and tolerance of disparate polytheistic cult worships. Education and wealth isbroadly distributed through all social classes where Imperial culture has flourished; many citizensare literate and protected under Imperial Law. Persons of all → races and creeds can advance inwealth and status in commerce, the bureaucracy, and the military. However, moral and politicalcorruption at the highest levels of Imperial society, and the economic strain of maintaining militaryoccupations in widely separated hostile provinces like → Morrowind, signals the impendingdecline of the → Empire.111