Tamriel Data:The Dwarven Firmament

Book Information The Dwarven Firmament
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The Dwarven Firmament

by Amiel Callonus

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In my travels, I have delved into dozens of Dwarven ruins, from far-reaching Bthzark on Stros M'Kai to the crumbling Bthzundcheft of the Telvanni Isles. These ancient structures have allowed scholars such as myself a glimpse into Dwarven culture, history, science, and technology. This short work is an introduction to their understanding of astronomy and a companion to Ffoulke's Firmament for the Dwarven Enthusiast.

As any citizen of the Empire should know, there are thirteen major constellations in the night sky, signs that marks one's birth with a specific form of magical energy. The Dwarves knew these stars well, and made charts to predict their movements and the timing of astronomical phenomena precisely. Unfortunately, the majority of that information is lost. The observatory on Stros M'Kai and scattered remains of diagrams found elsewhere provide hints but few satisfying conclusions about the scope of their knowledge.

The most striking difference originates from the fact that Dwarves did not believe in magic.

Thus, the Mage was the Mechanist to them, the guardian of technology, in particular steam power. Its charges are of a technological or scientific nature as well, and so the Apprentice is the Automaton, the Atronach/Golem is the Warmachine, and the Ritual, the Laboratory. Automation, Domination, Experimentation. The Mechanist and his three charges typically reside in the sky's middle ring. The Automaton bears a resemblance to a steam centurion. Their Warmachine is similar, but its lower half is much closer to a Dwarven-style ballista. What exactly the Laboratory is supposed to represent is unclear at this time.

The two other guardians, Warrior and Thief, while not differently named, are no less different in their forms.

The Steed is a scarab beetle rather than a horse. Theories exist that the Rourken clan used mechanical beetles like this to traverse the deserts of Hammerfell. The Steed is of course guided by the Warrior, and all of his charges tend to live in the highest echelon of heaven.

The Lord, another charge, appears more like a priest than a king, and wears a robe adorned with runes. The Lady takes on an appearance quite similar to a Dark Elven noblewoman. The Warrior himself is armored with a Dwarven helmet, pauldrons, gauntlets, and shield, and he wields either a saber or katana.

The Thief, who occupies the lowest ring, presides over the Lover, Shadow, and Tower. It is worth noting that unlike the traditional Thief, the Dwarves interpreted the dagger to be a set of lockpicks and probes, and the dagger's sheath a large key.

The Dwarven Shadow is reminiscent of a wraith with long arms, each with five long ghostly fingers, pointy ears, and an unusually thin beard. Oddly enough, the Shadow has a single eye in the shape of its corresponding rune, the letter G.

Similar to our own Lover, the Dwarves depicted her with revealing clothing, although her pose seems to indicate a fighting stance.

The Tower's shape is the same, but some of the finer details in the architecture are unmistakably Dwarven.

Perhaps the least interesting of all in appearance is the Serpent, as it is practically identical to ours. However, the Dwarves were very active in keeping track of its location. They always listed it separately from the other twelve birthsigns due to its wayward behavior.

Addendum: Ongoing research is investigating the meaning of Dwarven runes that correspond to each constellation. The Serpent has a rune as well, one that has proven difficult to transcribe and with seemingly no letter to match it.