On The Honors Of The Dead, I
I, Vadyne Andoril, have served as an inquisitor of the sacred ordination in Necrom for over a century and a half as of the writing of this manuscript. Though in my youth, every Dunmer, from the poorest to the noblest, understood the distinction between our sacred funeral rites and the works of foul necromancers, the growing number of outlanders in our cities has caused our youth to forget the wisdom of their ancient heritage. They confuse the works of wicked sorcerors with their own connection to the honored dead. They fear and shun the dead, considering them all the slaves of evildoers, and they neglect the wisdom that comes from the consultation of their ancestors. Following the teaching of blessed ALMSIVI and the praxis of sacred Necrom from time immemorable, I propose herein to teach and instruct our people of their ancient rights and duties, ever honoring Vivec, teacher of the king of the earth.
I first shall confront the error of the outlanders which says that there is to be no difference to be reckoned between their dead and ours. This is purely falsehood, spawned from the heresy of our ancient enemies who seek our destruction and from the House of Troubles who would sunder us from our forebears and bring us to ruin. I would ask any purveyor of this falsehood to name one race of outlanders to whom their dead are anything but corpses to be buried or burned. There is none. They view our dead as they do theirs, though this is not so. Vivec recounts the words of the Hortator who said, “I am not of the slaves that perish.” Our people do not perish in death as do the outlanders who follow dead and dying gods, nor do they lose their honor, duty, and devotion, for as the saying goes, “Death does not diminish; the ghost gilds with glory.” I shall expound this saying in the following chapters.