Lore:Blackmarrow Cult

The Blackmarrow Cult (or simply the Blackmarrow) was a Second Era group of necromancers led by the powerful Nord necromancer Orryn the Black, whom his followers referred to as "the master". The cult served to further Orryn's ambitions to reach new heights of necromancy, thereby legitimizing it as a field of study distinct from the School of Conjuration. In his hubris, Orryn declared his ultimate goal to be mastery over existence itself.

Orryn was known for carrying out necromantic experiments on exotic hosts; in addition to regular corpses, he also delighted in reanimating the carcasses of animals and even the remains of Daedra.

Circa 2E 582, Orryn learned of the existence of Fang Lair, an ancient necropolis originally carved out of the Dragon's Teeth Mountains by the Dwemer. After reading Arkngthamz-Phng: Caught in the Dragon's Teeth, the Altmer researcher Neramo's treatise on the subject, Orryn instructed his cult to begin scouring the mountain range for an entrance to the necropolis. Although they suffered some casualties in their search, the Blackmarrow Cult eventually discovered the location of Fang Lair and established themselves within its depths. During this time, the cult developed its own distinct style of arms and armor.

Once established within the ruins, Orryn and his cult began to make use of the vast amount of mortal remains within to raise their undead minions. Orryn learned of a lich that dwelled deep within the complex: Caluurion, who in life was a member of a First Era adventuring party who ventured into Fang Lair to slay the dragon Thurvokun. Through necromantic ritual, Orryn compelled the lich to tell him of the research Caluurion had carried out in life. After failing to soul trap the dragon's soul, Caluurion obsessively studied Thurvokun's bodily remains until his eventual death. He then achieved a state of lichdom in order to continue his research. Learning of this, Orryn made plans to resurrect the dragon's skeletal remains himself, and hoped to locate the body of Thurvokun's Dragon Priest as well. As it transpired, Thurvokun's Dragon Priest was Zaan the Scalecaller, and she was not present at Fang Lair. She had forsaken her dragon overlord long ago and turned to worship of Peryite.

The Undaunted soon learned of the Blackmarrow Cult's presence within Fang Lair after the complex was found to be teeming with undead and necromancers. A group of Undaunted ventured into its depths to confront the cult, freeing the trapped souls of the First Era adventurers in the process. The Undaunted defeated Orryn the Black in combat, forcing him to merge his soul with Thurvokun's reanimated skeleton. The dragon's body served as a vessel for his power, while also allowing Orryn to control his undead creation directly. Despite this transformation, he was ultimately defeated by the Undaunted, putting an end to the Blackmarrow Cult.

Gallery

• 

  Blackmarrow Cult equipment

• 

  Orryn the Black and Thurvokun

• 

  A Blackmarrow necromancer

• 

  Blackmarrow Necro-Turban

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the ESO article.