Organisations are a dime in a dozen in The Elder Scrolls‘ vast, magical world, from the Mages Guild and the Dark Brotherhood to the Morag Tong. However, some groups are more elusive than most, their inner workings a mystery to those not on the inside – and the most enigmatic of them all is the Psijic Order.
Related
Skyrim: Miraak’s Lore And Backstory, Explained
The first-ever Dragonborn and a Dragon Priest, Miraak is a key character in Skyrim’s universe. Learn more about him in this Explainer.
An ancient organisation dating back to the First Era, the Psijic Order is known for its powerful, arcane magicks and passionate pursuit of wisdom. Although they appeared in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, they featured prominently in the Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset expansion, which opened the door to learning more about the Psijic Order, its members, and the legendary island of Artaeum.
The Origin Of The Psijic Order
The Psijic Order is the oldest monastic order in Tamriel. It was formed not long after the Altmer (or High Elves) first settled in the Summerset Isles during the First Era. Initially, the Psijic Order appeared to be established to contemplate and devote further study to Padomay, a primordial spirit.
However, during this time, there has been a gradual religious shift among the Altmer. The Altmer once worshipped the ancestor spirits; now, they venerated a select few of the Aedra, including Auriel, Phynaster, Syrabane, and Trinimac.
Considering this blasphemy, several of the Altmer elders turned against this practice and wanted to adhere to the Old Ways. The Old Ways follow the worship of the ancestor spirits, with the belief that the Aedra and the Daedra were once mortals who obtained great power in the afterlife. The Psijics particularly revere the Archaryai, whom they believe are the progenitor spirits responsible for all mortal races.
These Altmer elders and their followers settled on the island of Artaeum, starting the Psijic Order and using the island as their base of operations. Interestingly, the Thalmor consider the Psijics traitors to the Altmer and react hostilely when encountering them.
Purpose, Traditions And Beliefs
As mentioned before, the Psijics are devoted to the Old Ways and, as such, their purpose mainly revolves around further study into Mysticism and the Eleven Forces. According to lore, the Eleven Forces are a set of divine laws that define reality, with change being the most important of them all. This explains their connection to Padomay, a spirit who is considered to be the embodiment of continuous change.
Related
The Elder Scrolls Online: Who Are The Ayleids?
The Ayleids were a proud people, but what happened to them?
Although the Psijics prize change, they stress that effort must be made to bring about ‘good’ change and that “oegnithir” – also known as bad change – should be avoided. Despite being quite stingy about sharing their magical knowledge with the rest of the world, it’s because of the latter belief that the Psijics occasionally leave the island of Artaeum to serve as advisors or send their members to resolve issues that require arcane expertise.
Members would be sent to collect magical relics all over Tamriel, believing that such relics in the wrong hands would bring about the wrong kind of change. One example would be the retrieval of the Eye of Magnus from the Thalmor during the College of Winterhold questline. All relics are returned to Artaeum and stored in the heavily warded Vault of Moawita for safekeeping.
Although not much is known about the initiation process, the Psijics do allow other races to join, provided they have significant magic aptitude. The selection process may be unknown to us, but based on in-game information, the Psijics undergo certain rituals to preserve the Old Ways. The Psijics regularly perform the Rites of Moawita and the Viaglyd, all to weaken evil spirits and benefit the ‘good’ spirits.
The Magic Of The Psijics
The magical capabilities of the Psijics are vast and substantial, with some alleging that the higher-ranked members of the order could be equal in power to the Dunmer god Sotha Sil. But one of the most notable aspects of the Psijics is their ability to wield Time Magic, as demonstrated repeatedly in the Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset expansion.
The Psijics can stop, quicken, slow or rewind time as they see fit. Due to their expertise in Time Magic, members can sense time disruptions such as Time Breaches and Time Knots and repair them – they can even peer into alternate realities.
Furthermore, they’ve demonstrated the practice of divination, or scrying magic. They can use this type of magic to observe events from afar, using scrying pools to do the job. They can even delve into the memories of objects or peer into the minds of others.
Related
The Elder Scrolls Online: Who Is Ithelia?
Here’s everything you need to know about the Forgotten Prince of Paths.
What’s more, the Psijic Order has made use of Mind Magic, using it for telepathic communication with other members. They’ve also used it for subterfuge, infiltrating their target’s mind to obtain personal information about them.
Since the Psijics spend a large amount of time researching and obtaining wisdom, they use life-extension magic to prolong the lives of their members. This is especially useful for the race of Men, with some members even remaining as apprentices after more than 300 years of study.
Higher-ranking members are noted to have lived for more than a millennium, with Ritemaster Iachesis even living up to nearly four millennia before his death.
The Disappearances
However, the grandest demonstration of the Psiijic Order’s might is their ability to transport the entirety of the Isle of Artaeum to a different plane altogether. There have been two noted instances of Artaeum – and thereby the Order – disappearing, one being in the Second Era and the other taking place in the Fourth Era.
These disappearances could last for centuries before the Psijic Order would reappear, along with those who had resided on Artaeum when it first vanished. Whenever asked about why or where they disappeared, the Psijics were notoriously tight-lipped about it.
Interestingly, we know that during the time of their first disappearance, the Psijic Order was dealing with the combined might of Azura, Clavicus Vile, Mephala and the Sea Sload K’Torah’s attempt to steal the Heart of Transparent Law to obtain ultimate power. On the other hand, their second disappearance in the Fourth Era aligned with the time the Aldmeri Dominion were kickstarting a new campaign.
This suggests that the Psijic Order purposely disappeared due to cataclysms they were dealing with on their own or to remove themselves during turbulent times. However, just because Artaeum has vanished doesn’t mean that the Psijics are gone as well. In fact, in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we encounter a member of the Psijic Order, Quaranir, in Winterhold College around the time Artaeum was still missing.
Notable (Former) Members
Mannimarco
An infamous necromancer and founder of the Order of the Black Worm, Mannimarco honed his magical talents as a student of the Psijic Order. Alongside Vanus Galerion, he was considered one of the best rising talents the Psijics had.
Related
The Elder Scrolls Online: What Is Colovia?
From the countryside of the West Weald to the city of Kvatch, Elder Scrolls fans will be familiar with many areas in Colovia.
However, he used his time as a student to delve into the dark arts and became fascinated with necromancy. Leaving the Psijic Order, Mannimarco would build a lasting legacy of dread and fear, one which saw him rise to become the god of necromancers, only to be defeated by the Hero of Kvatch in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Vanus Galerion
Known as the Great Mage, Vanus Galerion was a member of the Psijic Order and nemesis of Mannimarco. He quickly discovered that Mannimarco had been corrupted and warned the Psijic elders about it, only to be ignored.
Although Mannimarco had left and started sowing chaos, Galerion became frustrated with the Psijics’ decision not to interfere. Galerion also left the Psijic Order and founded the Mages Guild, intending to spread magical knowledge – the opposite of the Psijic Order’s stance. Galerion was able to defeat Mannimarco’s army in a final showdown, though he died in battle.
Sotha Sil
Referred to as the Clockwork God, Sotha Sil was one of the Tribunal alongside Vivec and Almalexia, and a member of the Psijic Order by the First Era. He spends his time at Artaeum lecturing apprentices and teaching them magic. Unfortunately, with the defeat of Dagoth Ur, Sotha Sil loses his divine powers and returns to being mortal, eventually being killed by Almalexia.
Next
The Elder Scrolls: What Is A Dragon Break?
Dragon breaks are an enormous ordeal, even by Tamrielic standards. We dive into The Elder Scrolls’ most draconian measure.