OE Imperial Archeological Society: remove Numidium plans

Type: 

Suggestion

Severity: 

Normal

Game version: 

Morrowind

Concerns: 

TR_Preview

Related Release File: 

Found in Version: 

Status: 

Fixed for Version: 

Description: 

A lore detail in the Dwemer exhibition of the IGS representation in OE ... 

At first, a compliment for the creator of this place. It captures imperial fascination with Dwemeri archeology in a way I have not seen since ESA: Redguard and also represents cyrodiilic armchair studies at its finest. The interior feels unique, fresh and most creatively designed. Just one minor detail struck me odd from a lore perspective: 

Anumidium plans (misc_dwrv_artifact30) are shown in the public exhibition, but I'm quite sure that this is not something an official imperial institution would display in plain sight. Numidium was Tiber's secret weapon of mythic mass destruction, its existence and use during the Tiber wars is generally denied in the Empire, and only mad brass heretics dare to speak about it in weird conspiracy theories (therefore "Arcturian Heresy"). Numidium is important top-secret stuff, something in the area of Blades, military command, high ranking Battlemages, not imperial archeologists. There was even a skipped vanilla Legion quest in which General Darius ordered you to recover the plans (which could be found in the museum of Aryon, who is a more than curious Telvanni and heretic by definition). So this should not be an exhibition piece near the center of imperial power at OE.

Of course you could develop Numidium stuff as an arc for an IGS plotline. Numidium was one of the major lore refinements from ES II to ES III, and you could expand on this in line with Skeleton Man's interview (see Yul Marshee's and dro'Mhkaij's answers), the secret dealings of the Armistice between Tiber and Vivec, the imperial ban on Dwemer exports and so on. There is much to uncover there. Perhaps IGS could even step on the feets of some high-ranking officials during their research ...

... but in any case, those plans are not what an interested, loyal citizen of the Empire should see on his Sundas trip to the museum or while listening to a lecture on lost dwarven lore. So I think you should replace misc_dwrv_artifact30 in cell Old Ebonheart, Imperial Archeological Society with other, less secretive schematics or add them to the treasure room in the basement. Just remove them from plain sight, they are way too important for the Empire. 

Comments

Half to bump this and half

Tyermali's picture

Half to bump this and half because I would like to add this book (The Warp in the West) to the other arguments - Oblivion, sure, but nevertheless a convenient take on the most recent activation of Numidium. In a secret report, the Imperial ambassador of Wayrest only speaks in vague terms about "a certain powerful, ancient weapon [...] I shan't give the name of it here" and refers to it just as "this power, this weapon". The first passage also summarizes imperial propaganda about the Numidition in the west as a divinely ordained "Miracle of Peace". Same would apply to Tiber Septim's use of Numidium, a problem which touches the very foundations of his Empire. Which is why I am quite sure that Numidium plans do not really belong in the public display room of an Imperial Dwemer museum in Morrowind. cool

 

Ah, I hadn't realized nobody

Gnomey's picture

Ah, I hadn't realized nobody else had replied to this; it was probably only discussed on the Discord channel. The presence of the Numidium plans is certainly an oversight, and they will be removed.