Auriel’s Bow is an artifact created and used by the Elven god Auriel, an aspect of the Imperial Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. Although it takes the form of a modest Elven Moonstone bow, it is one of the most powerful weapons in Tamriel.
The bow draws its power from Aetherius itself, channeling it through the sun. Because of its link to Auriel, the bow can manipulate the sun in various ways. It was involved in a prophecy recorded in the Elder Scrolls, which foretold that the bow would be used to block out the sun. The bow is twinned with Auriel’s Shield. It purportedly smells like Ash Yams, a vegetable native to Morrowind and Solstheim.
In the Dawn Era, the bow was said to have been carried into battle by Auriel himself, against the forces of Lorkhan during the Ehlnofey wars. When Trinimac defeated Lorkhan and tore out his heart, Auriel fastened it to an arrow shot it long into the sea, where Red Mountain eventually formed.
For hundreds of years, the bow appeared throughout Tamriel, with its most recent appearances being subject of gossip. The bow was uncovered by the Eternal Champion during the Imperial Simulacrum, in the province of Valenwood, Skyrim or Elsweyr (accounts vary). In the events leading up to the Warp in the West, a clue to the bow’s location was discovered by a witch living in the Iliac Bay region. In return for kidnapping the witch’s great-granddaughter to become the witch’s successor, she revealed the clue to a questing member of a knightly order, who retrieved it from the dungeon where it lay. A fake copy of the bow also appeared in the Iliac Bay around this time; it was created by a mage in an attempt to bribe an agent of Nocturnal who has been sent to assassinate him.
Later in the Third Era, the bow was claimed by Ralyn Othravel, a Dunmer Ordinator and a member of the Tribunal Temple stationed at Ghostgate, a small military settlement along the Great Ghost Fence on Vvardenfell. In 3E 427, Mistress Therana, an eccentric Councillor of Great House Telvanni, discovered the bow’s location through unknown means, although she claimed she could smell its Ash Yam scent. A member of House Telvanni took the bow from Ralyn Othravel and gave it to Therana, who grudgingly accepted it. Later that year, the bow was sold to Torasa Aram, who put it on display in her Museum of Artifacts in Mournhold.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Damage | 1d10 |
| Hand | 2 |
| Range | 30/200/400 |
| Qualities | Magic, Proven, Reload (2), Unwieldy, Auriel’s Light |
| ENC | 1 |
Auriel’s Light: Any arrow fired from this bow counts as inflicting sunlight damage for the purpose of harming creatures with the Sun-scarred trait.