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| Publication Date: | May 16, 2025 | ||
Discover sinister suspicions about the secretive successor to the King of Worms in this Meet the Character.
A Report from an Eye of the Queen.
Razum-dar, faithful Eye of the Queen, can now report that he has confirmed the return of the Worm Cult. The natural question that follows is obvious: With the demise of Mannimarco during the events of the Planemeld, who leads the returned Order of the Black Worm?
Since our friends in the Fighters Guild and Mages Guild know more about these matters than Raz does, he visited several guildhalls across Tamriel to investigate these unwelcome developments. With the help of acting guildmasters Prince Azah and Gabrielle Benele, Raz acquired a small amount of captured Worm Cult correspondence—and a few opportunities to question cultist prisoners. A difficult and unpleasant duty, but a vital step in gathering intelligence.
Out of these investigations, a picture of the Worm Cult’s new leader emerged. Our new adversary is a powerful necromancer (what else?) who calls himself Wormblood.
The cultists Raz questioned described Wormblood as a tall, gaunt High Elf with an unnatural pallor and dark eyes that “burn with unholy power.” (Their words, not Raz’s.) They describe him as cold, logical, and impassive, preferring to speak only in whispers. Wormblood might be a rather well-preserved lich, since quite a few Worm Nests were once led by necromancers who chose to live on in undeath. Raz cannot confirm that, though. Reports claim that Wormblood now carries Mannimarco’s own Staff of Worms, a powerful symbol of authority within the cult.
According to one story Raz heard, Wormblood has been leader-in-waiting of the Worm Cult for quite some time. It is said Mannimarco established a Worm Nest hidden not only from his enemies across Tamriel, but also from all other Worm Nests. If some disaster was to befall the Worm Cult or Mannimarco’s own person—for example, his defeat at Sancre Tor—it was the task of this hidden nest to come forward and reestablish the cult. Accurate or not, such a plan is exactly the sort of foresighted deviousness we should expect from a villain as brilliant as Mannimarco. It rings true, yes?
Finally, there is one more rumor worth reporting: Some cultists believe Wormblood is not just any High Elf. He may in fact be close kin to Mannimarco himself! A cousin or nephew, perhaps, who chose to follow his elder into the darkness. In this account, Wormblood abandoned his own name in an act of rebellion against the family who disowned him for practicing forbidden arts. Ever since, he has defined himself as a vessel for Mannimarco’s ambitions, enforcing obedience to the plans and tenets of the King of Worms. A purpose dark and strange, if true.
If you remain skeptical, Razum-dar understands. This one must admit he is not sure if any of the Worm Cultists he interrogated have actually met this Wormblood. Viewed one at a time, these hints and rumors may not seem to add up to much. Yet taken together, Raz believes they paint a grim picture—the Worm Cult is alive and well in the hands of Mannimarco’s chosen successor, Wormblood. Firm, decisive action is required at once to protect not just the Dominion, but our entire world as well!
It is the opinion of your faithful and trusted servant, Raz, that we join with this newly formed Stirk Fellowship and look further into this developing situation.
Respectfully submitted,
Razum-dar
Eye of the Queen