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Lore:Gabrielle Benele

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Gabrielle Benele
ON-npc-Gabrielle Benele 03.jpg
Gabrielle Benele circa 2E 582
Race Breton Gender Female
Born 2nd Era
Resided in High Rock
Solitude
Anvil
Appears in ESO

Gabrielle Benele was a prominent Breton author and Mages Guild member of first rank active during the time of the Three Banners War. Before her tenure with the Mages Guild, she was part of the University of Gwylim,[1] which she left and later rejoined through the Antiquarian Circle,[2] the University's most prestigious historical society, whose members scour the continent for lost antiquities to collect and catalogue. There she became the most accomplished antiquarian and their leader.[3][4] She participated in the Tamrielic Invasion of Coldharbour, where she played a major role in aiding in the defeat of Molag Bal and ending the Planemeld.[5] Gabrielle had a sister named Sara who was also in the Mages Guild, though they were not very alike.[6]

HistoryEdit

After her time at the University of Gwylim, Gabrielle left to join the Mages Guild.[1] She authored a number of books derived from her own experiences and theories. At one point, she refused the advances of and got into an altercation with a dragonknight and was banned from the Anchor's Point Inn in Evermore. In Ardent Flame: Draconic or Endemic?, she wrote that she believed the magic wielded by dragonknights should be considered a branch of Destruction magic as defined by the academy of Shad Astula. The academy's curriculum resulted in high-quality graduates produced in half the time of a traditional Mages Guild education, which inspired Gabrielle to later propose their structure of eight disciplines into eight different schools of magic to be used in the Mages Guild: Alchemy, Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, Mysticism, Restoration, and Thaumaturgy.[7][8] Vanus Galerion sent Gabrielle a stack of rejection letters for this proposal,[9] yet would later be credited for creating the schools of magic.[10]

The Daggerfall CovenantEdit

A missive with cruel advice for non-standard military techniques was written by a "Gabrielle Benele" to General Serien of the Daggerfall Covenant's Stonefalls campaign, which suggests driving out local "lower life forms" from their homes as a tactic, as it would cause the beasts to invade local villages and towns. There was also to be another note created on how to utilize the local flora for alchemical ingredients that are capable of achieving explosive results.[11] However, Gabrielle herself denies the notes were written by her, stating that it was an attempt to defame her and that the note doesn't even have her handwriting.[12]

 
Gabrielle unseals the Impervious Vault at King Fahara'jad's behest

Gabrielle was later stationed in 2E 582 to be the Mages Guild representative to the Lion Guard during their efforts to stop Angof the Gravesinger in Glenumbra. Her intelligence reports provided them with the information that Angof had many allies at his disposal, including the Bloodthorn Cult, Daedric minions, and the creature Faolchu who spearheaded a lycanthropic assault of the region.[13] With her magic, she assisted the Lion Guard and the Knights of the Dragon in breaking through Angof's defenses in Cath Bedraud, enabling their combined forces to strike him down and ending his campaign in the region.[14]

Gabrielle was subsequently sent to Sentinel. Concerned that necromancers would threaten peace in the Alik'r Desert, King Fahara'jad requested that Benele unseal the Impervious Vault in an effort to confirm if the Ansei Wards were intact.[15] Using a giant's toe, a flame stalk, and worm's head cap, she succeeded in bypassing the vault's defenses, allowing the king's agents to confirm that the Withered Hand stole the wards.[16]

Afterwards, Gabrielle joined other guild mages and agents of the Fighters Guild to serve as peacekeepers for a diplomatic meeting between Queen Arzhela of Evermore and Septima Tharn of the Seventh Legion. The meeting was a trap: the Imperials intended to forcibly annex Bangkorai and assassinate the queen, but Gabrielle managed to teleport her to safety.[17]

Tamrielic Invasion of ColdharbourEdit

 
The Light of Meridia is unleashed in the heart of the Planar Vortex

That same year, the Mages Guild played a critical role in Tamriel's defense during Molag Bal's attempted invasion of the realm. After a conference between the opposing leaders of the Three Banners War, it was decided that the Mages and Fighters Guilds would venture into Coldharbour to combat the Daedric plot.[18]

Although initially scattered across the realm, the invasion force quickly reassembled in the Hollow City, a Meridian sanctuary within Coldharbour.[19] After destroying the Great Shackle and breaking through the great citadel that served as Molag Bal's last line of defense, the "Army of Meridia" was granted access to the Endless Stair by the restored Foolkillers Clan.[20]

Within the heart of Molag Bal's sanctum, Gabrielle commanded a force of elite mages,[21] and was one of the few survivors of the guilds' all-out assault that entered the Planar Vortex with Meridia. Their goal was to unleash the Light of Meridia at the focal point of the vortex, a task which Meridia aided in by distracting Molag Bal. Acclaimed knight Darien Gautier fought alongside the Last Ayleid King to protect the Vestige, Archmage Vanus Galerion, and Gabrielle while they worked to unleash the full potential of the Lights of Meridia within. Their efforts resulted in a blast that destroyed the vortex entirely, setting back all progress Bal had made on the Planemeld. King Dynar and Darien were casualties of the explosion, with the latter having vanished altogether.[5]

Post-PlanemeldEdit

After the Planemeld, Gabrielle threw herself into her research, seeking a way to save the souls of those lost in Coldharbour and beyond, with a particular focus on the lost knight, Darien. Learning that Gautier may be trapped in the Colored Rooms, she shifted her focus on that.[22] This led her to rejoin the University of Gwylim through the Antiquarian Circle, where she served as their chief arcanist and leader.[2][4] Using the organization's resources, she hoped to find an Ayleid relic from a Meridia-aligned tribe that would grant her access to the Colored Rooms or otherwise further her efforts.[23] During her time with the Antiquarian Circle, she offered her opinions on the significance of various antiquities that the organization was able to find.[24]

She also invited several important figures and experts from various fields to participate in the University of Gwylim's correspondence, interviews, and discussion seminars in various formats. Notable attendees included Madam Whim of Fargrave,[25] Azandar al-Cybiades,[8] Master Malkhest,[26] Sotha Sil (as interpreted by his priest Tarvus Indoril),[27] and Votary Nahlia of the Order of the Lamp.[28] Divayth Fyr of House Telvanni also took part in one of these events.[29]

GalleryEdit

NotesEdit

See AlsoEdit

BooksEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ a b Proposal: Schools of MagicGabrielle Benele, Daggerfall Mages Guild
  2. ^ a b An Introduction to Circle CorrespondenceVerita Numida
  3. ^ Verita Numida's dialogue in ESO: Greymoor
  4. ^ a b Yvara Plouff's dialogue in ESO: Greymoor
  5. ^ a b The Final Assault quest in ESO
  6. ^ Sara Benele's dialogue in ESO
  7. ^ Proposal: Schools of MagicGabrielle Benele, Daggerfall Mages Guild
  8. ^ a b Loremaster's Archive - The ArcanistsAzandar al-Cybiades
  9. ^ What's an Arcanist?Gabrielle Benele
  10. ^ The Black Arts On TrialHannibal Traven, Archmagister of the Mages Guild
  11. ^ Non-Standard TechniquesGabrielle Benele
  12. ^ Gabrielle Benele Answers Your Questions
  13. ^ Schemes of the ReachmageGabrielle Benele, Wizard
  14. ^ Angof the Gravesinger story quest in ESO
  15. ^ Epode of the Ansei WardsWeltan of Sentinel
  16. ^ The Impervious Vault quest in ESO
  17. ^ The Parley quest in ESO
  18. ^ Events of The Weight of Three Crowns in ESO
  19. ^ The Groundskeeper's dialogue during The Hollow City in ESO
  20. ^ Lyranth's dialogue at the end of The Citadel Must Fall in ESO
  21. ^ Events of The Citadel Must Fall in ESO
  22. ^ Gabrielle Benele's dialogue at the Anvil Mages Guildhall in ESO: Dark Brotherhood
  23. ^ Gabrielle Benele's dialogue in ESO: Greymoor
  24. ^ Gabrielle Benele's dialogue across various antiquity codex entries in ESO
  25. ^ Loremaster's Archive - Malacath and MaelstromMadam Whim
  26. ^ Loremaster's Archive - Infinite ArchiveMaster Malkhest
  27. ^ Loremaster's Archive - The Clockwork CityProctor Tarvus
  28. ^ Loremaster's Archive - Scribing — Votary Nahila
  29. ^ Loremaster's Archive - House TelvanniDivayth Fyr