Master Neloth - Blog Posts

"Just the shadows playing tricks..."

"Just the shadows playing tricks..."

I don't draw him enough

your hc of neloth’s piercings + views on tattoos/war paint?

curious on where the line is with him when it comes to beauty/adornment/appearance

Taking this as an opportunity to draw Neloth's jewelry.

I think as a Telvanni Neloth would naturally be drawn towards self-adornment. Their idea of status and power relied on a lot on displaying personal wealth, and I think that translates into dressing pretty elaborately and wearing lots of jewelry. (I know we only have polygons to go by in Morrowind, but even Neloth has the gaudiest robes I ever seen and an earful of earrings in that game).

As far as tattoos, I can't imagine he has much of an opinion. I don't see him having any himself. I do headcanon them to be pretty common in Morrowind, especially in formal organizations like the Morag tong, but then also in more lawless gangs like the Camonna Tong. (Two very different kinds of tattoo cultures).

In my fic, at least, Neloth only ever really comments on Teldryn's tattoos to try to get a rise out of him. I don't think he finds them attractive or unattractive. Just part of who Teldryn is.

As for war paint, I can hear him in the back of my head making snide comments about smearing one's self with mud making absolutely no difference in battle.

The Neloth Post Nobody Asked For but now I'm making it everyone's problem

I guess I'll start out by saying: all of this pertains to my very specific version of Neloth who can be found alive and well (for now) in my fic series "Legends Never Die". It's a big wide fandom, I do not claim to be an authority on Anything, and I think everyone's little pocket universes and OC-ification of NPCs are all equally valid. These are just some of the ways I write and characterize him. So if you have any Neloth headcannons of your own, please sound off!

The Basics:

I estimate this old crusty bastard is in his 700s, or thereabouts, probably on the later end. He stopped counting at a certain point and can't be arsed to keep a talley. There are more important things that occupy his brainspace. He maintains his spry and youthful visage [cough] through his rigorous magical practices, (and his not-so-subtle interest in necromancy and discovering the secrets to immortality).

He was exiled decided to retire from the Telvanni Council a good fifty or sixty years before the eruption of Red Mountain, retreating to Solstheim to continue his experiments in seclusion. Due to severing his mainland ties and House loyalties, his power and influence are significantly weakened, though he continues to expand his studies and has a relatively well-functioning settlement of workers, as well as his current apprentice, Talvas Fathryon, under his tutelage.

And of course, the question on everyone's mind: do he fuck? In terms of his sexuality, he's finicky and if I had to slap a label on him, he's definitely in the realm of Aro-Ace, but on the gray side of things (pun intended???). Here, have an Ace Neloth Pride Flag because why not:

Personal Interests, Likes, and Dislikes:

The list of dislikes could probably rival the "color of the sky" post, so let's try to condense that into the main point: he dislikes inefficiency. The definition of what he finds "inefficient" can and does vary greatly, even in his own work. I would say one of his driving motivators is IncreasE Efficiency, above all else.

His likes are few and far between. As it stands, I could probably list three off-hand. He likes well-made tea (preferably dark, bitter, and stimulating), he likes an organized bookshelf, and he likes Teldryn Sero (who is also dark, bitter, and.... stimulating).

Morality:

Huh? What's that? Never heard of it.

I kid (kind of). Neloth has a complicated psychology. I characterize him to have underdeveloped empathy, but he is not entirely devoid of it. I suppose I'll let him explain it, (from chapter 5 of "Breathing Water"):

“I do…” Neloth began, [...] “I do… feel.” He twisted the stiff bedroll between his fingers. “I do.” [...]  “It’s just…” He didn’t know where he was going with this, but the words were clawing their way out of him like some kind of sick, emaciated animal emerging from a cave. “I don’t think I… feel… correctly.” He exhaled sharply, letting his head roll from side to side, neck popping. “I’ve always been this way. It’s not just the result of graying morals from a prolonged life. I’ve always had this,” he gestured to his chest with trembling fingers, “hole. Like something’s missing.” He pulled the bedroll tighter around him, curling in on himself. A small laugh. “It’s been useful, if I’m honest.” 

He does try, at a certain point, to understand this side of himself a little bit better. Though, honey, he's got a big storm coming.

Anyways, that's my Neloth post for now, maybe I'll add more another time. :) Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

I've made this illustration to give vent to my hype over @greyborn2's fanfic - about the early history of Tel Mithryn and... goblins.

Check this fragment out:

As such places generally were, the slave markets of Dagon Fel were a sad little affair. Only the Dres tried to hide the misery places like that held. With mixed success. Mostly this one wasn’t even run by distinguished traders; it was just unfortunates trying to sell themselves or a family member off for some hope of escaping this ashen rock. Quality was an assurance that could not be relied upon without knowing what to look for. It took Neloth a good hour of questioning, and shooing away hopefuls, before he even started to find some that knew the first thing about brewing tea. Even fewer seemed to have the skill… the basic decencies and decorum… he expected of a potential steward.

Isn't it the Dunmer literature in its purest form? Here's the entire work, have fun reading as I did :D

"What is it that you want!?"

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If you want wizards to be nice to you - better don't interrupt their teabreaks :3

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I won't be posting much now bc I'm learning how to use more than 3 brushes in one drawing lololol.

Have this sample for now :3

Do you think that a reading campaign posters would be more successfull if they featured cute baby Telvanni wizards?🥺

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Mer kids are my obsession at this point - expect more of them :3

A highborn Telvanni mistress and her smol baby. She looks a bit evil and nasty lol but appartently the sight of her very own child melts her heart. 🥺

Anyone wanted more of baby Neloth? :3

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Do you ppl have any other TES characters you wish to have portrayed as kids? (that's NOT an actual challenge, I guarantee nothing, though I'll probably flesh out my favourite suggestions :)

"Together we form House Telvanni, one of the great houses of Morrowind."

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Here's your daily supply of Dunmer granddads and grandmas:

the no. 1 canditate in a contest for "kind and generous wizard"

tea-drinking boi, this time clean-shaven :3

Mistress Alzheimer, styled her after my former physics teacher - imagine Therana preparing you for the final exams

the worst type of an old, radical lesbian feminist you can get

the former archmagister R.I.P. - I made him look like a scumbag bc I do not wanna pity him

the friendly Telvanni diplomat always eager to lend you a hand - Divayth's greatest competitor

the tax-evading bad boy :3

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Do you have any unexpected favourites?

A power-mad ancient wizard with dubious morals and a smug, self-seeking witch of an apprentice.

What possibly could go wrong? :3

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But I secretly do hope that in one of the parallel universes nothing wrong has ever happened and they live happily together. 🥺

You may like baby Yoda or even baby Rick but I prefer baby Neloth :3

Well, not rly so baby.

I do love speculating what kind of kind of environment and ppl could have created such an ideal a jerk.

I believe that his mother was a renegade cave necromancer on Vvardenfell, maybe of an Ashlander origin. She was probably so disagreeable that she dumped his father and brought up her son on her own. She flooded her son with admiration and managed to pass down her ambitions onto her child. Growing with no father figure, there was no one in his early childhood to burst the bubble of Neloth's self-absorbed delusions... that's how Neloth became Neloth :3

Do you have any theories about the Neloth's past yourself?

Just another misty morning in Morrowind... and one of the last days in the life of a certain cliffracer :)

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Hmmm... why does my default random dunmer guy look suspiciously Neloth-y? Maybe that's because he occupies 10% of my head, of the overall 50% reserved for the Dunmer.

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I'm beginning to like the loose style of drawing environments :)

A mushroom wizard in a mushroom armor doodle. Thought he would look cute in it :3

Maybe I'll color it in another aeon.

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Tagged by @the-sunlit-earth

"HOW do you imagine yourself surviving as a House Telvanni Wizard???!!! You don't even know THE BASICS!!!!"

(Talvas, in his head: "Yes, yes. I'm not gonna survive at all.")

"Drip! Drip!" - the teardrops on the paper.

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I've promised you Talvas crying over books... and here he is :)

Yes, I vent through drawing Talvas, move along.

There are some days in winter when you just need to leave your dignity aside - and protect your sensitive ears and bald head by all means possible.

He's prepared to kill anyone that dares to laugh at him.

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Neloth in a babushka scarf. A friend of mine thought it was a good idea, so if you wish to unsee it - but can't - I'm not the one to blame.

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Autumn is coming, graveyards are becoming increasingly interesting places to study.

Evening falls. The atmosphere would be almost idyllic if it wasn't for the stench of a decomposing cat.

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My Dunmer kiddo in a scarf doing some shady things again :)

Theoretically this is my OC, but gives very "Neloth" vibes (I guess I need to give him more distinctive features in the future).

So go on, you can think this is young Neloth.

I mourned the fact that there are no mer kiddos in Skyrim, so I've drew some (:

The first one is my Bosmer OC, in a funny colovian fur helmet to feel more important. He's but a child, but he's already able to successfully sell people things only-gods-know-where-from.

The second was meant to be my Dunmer OC, but I drew the scarf and I decided that will be smol Neloth, doing suspicious Telvanni things ever since childhood.

Even master Telvanni wizards need tea breaks.

I suppose the tea time is the only time when master Neloth can be sunny.

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Yes, yet another wizard on a chair/armchair. I'm afraid that I have a new fetish.

Neloth... doing some Telvanni things.

Talvas probably threw up and washed out or was assigned some boring chores (apparently, Neloth seems enjoying himself so perhaps the task wasn't painful enough to involve Talvas in it).

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I've sketched this while listening to "DEATH MAGICK FOR ADEPTS".

Listen to Cradle of Filth, kids. Best frigging music to draw egoistic, power-mad wizards.

Yes, I'm one of those pampered snobs whom you can't please with ANY tea.

Drovas deserved this.