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A specter haunts researchers of the arcane. No doubt you've heard the whispers. Perhaps you know a scholar who had research suddenly end and when pressed for explanation, they demurred with fear in their eyes. In the past, many of us have refused to discuss the stories that cause such dread.
No longer.
I shall finally reveal what we know of the Remnants. Although the specifics may change, every story sticks to a common theme. These creatures appear in our halls of knowledge and abscond with artifacts, tomes, and other objects worthy of research. Maybe you've met them late one night when they stole from you at the point of a blade. Resistance to their thievery results in a slit belly, or, if you're lucky, merely restrained by inky black tendrils from some unknown source. Then, they vanish without a trace.
I spoke to Adept Gholat, an Orsimer mage (he prefers the proper racial naming) who studies Daedric entities at the Mages Guild in Shornhelm. While investigating the Remnants, he learned that they are an order or a clan of Dremora, not a unique species as some have claimed. While it's common knowledge among scholars that Dremora organize themselves into clans, Adept Gholat found the the [sic] Remnants reject the hierarchical structures common to their kind. Indeed, they appear to have a completely flat organization with no ranks. How they manage to accomplish any tasks without a leader to command the others baffles me.
The wise Adept Gholat also discovered a common thread tying each appearance of the Remnants together. It seems that they do not just steal simple magical trinkets from us mortals. No, instead it seems they seek out items of intense power or one-of-a-kind artifacts. In each case, the Remnants appear before the researcher discovers the purpose of the piece. They leave us in a state of perpetual ignorance.
Armed with this knowledge, I sought out Catrisse Girien, an archeologist of magic. Her reputation as a scholar of arcane artifacts made her the perfect target for these Remnants. When I found her, she had just unearthed a solid onyx cylinder from the depths of an Ayleid ruin. She didn't express surprise or fear when I brought up the Remnants. Instead, she calmly acknowledged that she'd had several encounters with them. She believed they were on genuinely good terms.
Scholar Girien continued to examine the cylinder as she confirmed Adept Gholen's [sic] description of this Dremora clan. She described an order devoted to serving the mysterious Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora. I learned that the Remnants do not see themselves as thieves, but as protectors. They roam the planes of existence acquiring items they deem too powerful for others. Apparently they will also lock away knowledge in addition to artifacts, though what form this takes stays an open question.
When I brought up the issue of the Remnants' violent attacks, Scholar Girien regarded me with disdain. Only those selfish or arrogant enough to resist the order's efforts suffer their blows, she told me. She believes them to be honorable in their guardianship of the overly powerful. I intuited that her belief in their mission has led to the Remnants giving her more information about them that she let on. I swear that when she looked at me, I observed clouds of black cross over her eyes.
So, here we have it. The mysterious force that haunts arcane researchers, known as the Remnants, believe themselves our protectors. How do they claim authority over our affairs? Why should we acquiesce to their threats of death? And where do they take the things they steal from us? I still seek answers to these questions. Perhaps one day I will discover something of worth and they will come for me. Until then, I suggest you hire guards while performing your research.