It is I, the Grand Scholar Thadeus, of the First Temple of Archon and keeper of the Song of the Daedric Prince Archon, hereby recount the history of our temple and its foundation. Recently our acolyte's have uncovered a document we never thought to have existed: The Journal of Archon. With this, I have translated and gained a greater understanding of how our great Prince came to be of the Daedra hierarchy.
First, our temple worships the Daedric Prince Archon: Prince of Dragons, Skill, and Heroism. It is to the Dragonborn that we receive his blessings of insight and power of the dragon. I will recount the history of our great Lord, and with the new information from his personal journal, to explain how a mortal ascended to the realm of God's.
As far as we know, the Dragonborn Archon was born in the land of Skyrim as a Nord; though anything before his first encounter with Alduin is still a mystery. The first writings from the journal account that he was in captivity by the imperial army in an ambush attempt to cross into Skyrim. Why this was, it does not say. We do know however that Archon was to be executed in Helgen before the great Dragon Alduin the Worldeater revealed himself. After this encounter Archon escaped and sought refuge in Whiterun. After consulting the then Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, he was tasked with investigating another dragon attack at the "Western Watchtower." It was this moment in which the dormant powers of Archon became apparent as he devoured the soul of Mirmulnir.
After this encounter, the greybeards summoned Archon to the "Throat of the World" to reveal the destiny of the Dragonborn. He was tasked to recover the ancient artifact The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. However upon arriving at the burial of the ancient nord, it was missing and thus had to meet Delphine of Riverwood (a follower of the Blades [an ancient order founded to protect the legacy of the Dragonborn]). After he received the horn from Delphine by slaying the ancient dragon Sahloknir, he then sought to uncover the truth behind Alduin's return and after finding the location of "Sky Haven Temple" he became aware of the destiny of Alduin and how to defeat him.
Following this new information, he returned to the Greybeards in which he was summoned by the ancient dragon Paarthurnax. It was at this encounter that he learned the only ones who knew of a shout to defeat Alduin was the ancient dragonborn's and to understand it, would require the mythic device known as an Elder Scroll. After retrieving the scroll, it was learned that Alduin could be forced from the heavens through the shout Dragonrend. After returning to the "Throat of the World" Archon once again encountered Alduin whom fled after Archon used Dragonrend. It was at this point, a summit was held between the factions of Skyrim to call a temporary truce to prevent the threat of the world's end.
It was then that Archon made his way back to Dragonsreach to summon Odahviing whom would lead him to Alduin's lair: "Skuldafn." Once he arrived, he encountered the dragon priest Nahkriin. In order to enter "Sovngarde," the dragon priests staff was required. It was in this great moment, that Archon delivered the final blow to Alduin and devoured his soul, before returning to the world of mortals. Thus the Song of the Dragonborn goes.
This is the story many are familiar with, it is a Nordic tale which is still sung in the great halls today, however few understand what happened after these events. for it was in Sovngarde that Archon realized that his fate could be greater than Alduin's now that he absorbed the soul of a Dragon Lord. It was at this time, Archon speaks of encounter with dragon cultists who claimed allegiance to "The True Dragonborn." They were from the land "Solstheim" and that is where the dragonborn would encounter "Miraak, first dragonborn." Once he arrived in Solstheim, he was directed to go to the "Temple of Miraak" where he would learn of this attacker. In order to defeat Miraak, first Archon would need to recover a series of books known as: Black Books.
After gathering the five Black Books, Archon was transported to Apocrypha the realm of the Daedric Prince Hermaeus Mora: Prince of knowledge and memory. In order to defeat Miraak, Archon needed to learn the dragon shout Bend-Will which would allow him to strike Miraak. before this could be done however, Mora needed something in return which was the knowledge that "Skaal Village" had previously kept hidden from Mora. After sacrificing this knowledge Mora taught Archon the word needed to complete the shout. Archon then returned to "Apocrypha" to defeat Miraak once and for all. After Miraak had been slain in an epic battle, Archon devoured all the souls Miraak had acquired including his own; thus Archon was truly the last and only dragonborn.
It is from this point that Archon returned to Skyrim, having read from the library in "Apocrypha," he set out to use this knowledge to craft his legendary armor: Archon's War Armor. Forged by Archon's own hands, imbued with powerful enchanting magic, he crafted a Helm, Armor, Gauntlets, and Boots that granted the wearer immunity to all elemental attacks as well as magic (frost, fire, lightning, magicka resist enchant); it was also forged to be impenetrable by any weapon (It is the Nordic Carved Armor set because personally I think it looks the coolest and it enhances the lore that Archon is the Great Frostbear of Skyrim). It was also at this time, that Archon forged his sacred ring of power Divine Insight, which granted the wearer unlimited use of magicka (magicka enchant), and unlimited physical energy (stamina enchant).
During this time, Archon was then contacted by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak who asked the dragonborn to assist in their rebellion to the Imperials. Wearing his new armor, Archon set out to create the legendary weapon Frostbane. The greatsword (Nordic Greatsword) had the ability to freeze it's enemies on touch (stun enchantment) as well as deplete them of all morale (absorb stamina enchant). With Archon on their side, the battle for Skyrim was an easy victory for the Stormcloaks. After the defeat of General Tullius and surrender of Jarl Elsif, Archon's prowess was noted and thus he was given the title: Hero of Skyrim. While Ulfric quickly worked to unify Skyrim and recover from the war Archon determined to discover the secrets of the God's and thus began his journey to acquire all that he would need.
Archon was invited into Jorrvaskr by the companions, which he eagerly was determined to rise through power. During his time with the companions it is understood he made a pact with the Daedric Prince Hircine: Father of manbeasts, in order to transform into a powerful lycan. After the death of Kodlak and salvation from the lythrocampic disease he had, Archon was anointed the new Harbinger of the Companions, though he did not give up his powers as a werewolf. After he became the Harbinger, Archon forged himself a bow made from dragonbones: Death's Whisper. It is said that one shot from this long bow would stun it's victim before their eventual death (stun enchant).
It was at this time that Archon was contacted by Brynjolf to try his hand at stealthy activities such as thievery. Archon helped the Thieves Guild of Skyrim to return to it's former glory and learned to become one with shadows after forging a pact with the Daedric Prince Nocturnal: Prince of darkness and luck. Having given his soul to Nocturnal in order to become a fabled Nightingale, and elevating the Thieves Guild to new levels of prosperity in Skyrim, he was given the title of Guild Master of Thieves.
Using his newfound abilities to lurk in the dark, he determined to revive the Dark Brotherhood. After his encounter with Astrid, he quickly established a new fear of darkness as he single handedly is responsible for the death of Tamriel's emperor at the time: Titus Mede II; though very few know it was the dragonborn who was responsible. With the death of Astrid when she betrayed the Brotherhood and his position as Listener, he was the leader of the Dark Brotherhood and an agent of the God of the Void: Sithis. It was after the brotherhood establish a new respect in Tamriel that Archon forged his amulet: The Immortal Pendant, which granted the wearer immortal life (health enchant).
Across his travels Archon knew there were still secrets that needed to be unlocked before he ascend to the realm of God's and as such ventured to "Winterhold"in order to learn more of how to achieve his goal. Once at the college he studied profusely along with his access to "Apocrypha" and eventually mastered several schools of magicka. At the same time he assisted the fabled mages of the Psijic Order in order to prevent the destruction of Dawnstar from the "Eye of Magnus." After this he was given the title: Archmage of Winterhold. However Archon learned of how to summon Thralls and Daedra from his studies of conjuration magic.
Once he became Archmage, Archon heard tales of Vampires causing havoc amongst Skyrim and an order known as the Dawnguard who sought to fight back. It is understood that as a werewolf, Archon had a personal distaste for vampires and joined the Dawnguard in order to defeat the Vampire Lord Harkon. It was during this quest, that Archon found who is presumed to be his mortal love interest Serana, a vampire. With her help they were able to confront Lord Harkon and eventually end his life with Serana wishing to be rid of her vampirism. Archon helped her in this endeavor and it is assumed Archon and Serana became betrothed based on records recovered from the "Temple of Mara" in Riften.
There was a slight change in the journal, as various quests were undertaken by Archon, while he continued to pursue how to become a God. However, it is estimated that two years after the defeat of Alduin and the independence of Skyrim that the now High King of Skyrim Ulfric Stormcloak once again requested Archon's assistance in fighting off the Imperials and their new allies, the Thalmor. According to historical texts, the Imperials refused to keep the armistice between them and Skyrim and with their alliance to the Thalmor they sought to bring Skyrim back under imperial rule in Tamriel.
Archon saw this as an opportunity to secure Skyrim's fate and allied himself with Ulfric Stormcloak who promoted Archon to a general of the newly formed Stormcloak Guard of Skyrim, a massive effort by Ulfric to rally all the Nord's into a battle hardened Army. Galmar Stone-Fist was the high Commander of the Stormcloak Guard and chief tactician. This began the War for Skyrim in which Archon singlehandedly drove legions of Thalmor from Skyrim while most of the Army fought against the imperial invasion. There are many accounts and tales of Archon during this time, with only a few hardy Nord soldiers drove back Thalmor warriors in odds that were similar to a hundred elves per Nordic warrior.
After two years, the Empire finally submitted defeat after losing thousands of soldiers and the Thalmor incurring embarrassing losses at the hands of Archon who summoned dragons to fight off legions of invaders. After the war, High King Ulfric bestowed upon Archon the newly created title of: The Great Frostbear of Skyrim. In battle and lore, never had there been a tale of a warrior who singlehandedly was responsible for massacring armies, Archon's legend amongst the Nord's was complete. However, after the war Archon focused his attention to securing his position amongst the God's and thus he began to build the The Grand Halls of Archon.
The Grand Halls of Archon were a place buried deep with the mountains near "Morthal" that is said to contain Archon's legendary weapons and armor. Archon's reason for building such a place was seal his epic armor to await a "hero worthy of its grace." Archon was able to build this structure by summoning hordes of daedra and thralls as well as undead to craft it's ornate halls. To this day, no mortal has ever stepped foot within those halls, and any who has dared to even attempt to open the entrance has been defeated swiftly by Archon's guardians.
It is also said the reason for Archon commissioning the Halls' construction was to open a plane of Oblivion of his own creation where he would reside as a daedric prince. In his journal, Archon tells of how he discovered in "Apocrypha" that in order to become a God one would have to acquire the essence of a deity and steal the power for themselves. Although Archon had observed the soul of Alduin, who technically was a God, Alduin's essence was not absorbed only his soul. The only way to acquire the essence, it would have to be given from said deity. It is from here Archon lays out his plan to acquire the essence of the God's.
Archon's soul was bound to two Daedric Prince's and an ancient God: Nocturnal, Sithis, and Hircine. Archon would use this to his advantage by having the deities war over his soul as only one could possess it. To do this Archon would open the plane of oblivion to Hircine's realm and tell him that Nocturnal has claimed his soul and is about to collect it for eternity. Hircine the proud huntsmen could not let his greatest prize, a dragon, elude his grasp; so Hircine sent his nether wolves to attack Nocturnal's realm. Having her realm invaded, Nocturnal responded by sending shades into Hircine's realm. While the two daedric prince's clashed, the other daedric princes watched on with intrigue.
While Hircine and Nocturnal battled over Archon's soul, he secretly went before Sithis himself and pleaded that he would give his soul to Sithis for eternity, if he stopped Nocturnal and Hircine from claiming his soul. Seeing no deception in Archon, Sithis quickly went before the two Daedric Prince's and forced them to give up their claim to Archon's soul or fear eternal darkness in both their realms. They both quickly realized that although they were immortal deities, Sithis was an ancient from the void who could cast their realms in eternal silence. This unbound Archon's soul to both Hircine and Nocturnal.
However, while this was all transpiring Archon went to "Apocrypha" and told Hermaeus Mora that he had stolen knowledge from "Apocrypha" without consulting Mora. In disappointment, Hermaeus impaled Archon not knowing that his soul was still owed to Sithis. This prompted Sithis to enter "Apocrypha" and confront Mora; while the plane was open Archon escaped back to his temple (where he entered Apocrypha in the first place). Inside his temple was the dragon: Ragnar, Archon's trusted friend whom he tamed after defeated Miraak.
With Ragnar inside his temple, Archon used the skills he learned from Hircine (which was transformation of human form to lycan) and tethered his unbound soul to Ragnar. This allowed him to shift from Human to Dragon (like the transformation from human to lycan). Reverting to his human form, he equipped his armor and sword. Sithis then spoke to him in his temple, and demanded that Archon give up his soul. Archon instead proposed that in exchange for unshackling his soul to Sithis, he would defeat Hermaeus Mora and usurp his essence to become a prince and then give Sithis knowledge to whatever he wanted to know. Sithis saw this as an acceptable exchange and gave up his claim to Archon's soul.
With Archon no longer being tethered to any God, he then returned "Apocrypha" where he challenged Hermaeus Mora for his essence. Hermaeus, in arrogance accepted knowing that having the dragonborn as his personal servant for eternity was an offer he couldn't refuse. Archon then shifted into his dragon form, which with the power of all the dragon souls he carried along with Alduin's gave him great power. It was a long, epic battle but in the end Archon triumphed and Hermaeus' essence was revealed. Archon then reverted to his human form and absorbed the Daedric Prince's essence. With this move, he became the new Daedric Prince and "Apocrypha" was now Archon's realm. With this new found power, Archon tethered Apocrypha to his temple as an access point for his entry into the mortal world.
It was after this time that Archon laid his armor and weapons within The Halls of Archon and as a new God and master of knowledge called the remaining dragon's in Tamriel to himself. He offered "Apocrypha" as a haven from the mortal world, and they did not question him as he now had the power of a God. It is at this point that Archon sealed away his great wealth and treasures within his Halls. He commanded his thralls, and the dragon known as Keeper to guard his halls from "the unworthy." He sealed the gates of his temple, with an enchantment that could only be broken with the power of the dragon.
It was shortly after The Halls of Archon were complete, that his presence in Skyrim faded into legend. Few who remembered Archon spoke of him as if he were myth and legend. Shortly after, the first of our order built the "Great Temple of Archon" after claiming that he appeared before them and granted them knowledge, in exchange for their eternal servitude to spreading his worship. Very few have encountered Archon over the years, but he is said to appear before great adventurers who have the "heart of a dragon" and the "will of a hero." He often grants aid and wisdom to those who seek him after passing a test of strength, as well as bestows great power for those few heroes in which legends are told. His appearance before mortals is just as mythic as was his life during his mortal years. Some say he appears as a mortal wearing the armor of a steel bear, others say he sometimes appears as a dragon flying over the Skyrim mountains.
It is within this telling that we give praise to the great Archon. For it is the Daedric Prince Archon: Prince of Dragons, Knowledge, Heroism, and Adventure; Bane of Alduin, Great Frostbear of Skyrim, Hero of the Nords, Harbinger of the Companions, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Nightingale of Thieves, Archmage of Winterhold, Knight of the Dawnguard, The Last Dragonborn. Who guides all heroes along their destinies, and grants knowledge to those earnest; always watching over Skyrim and Tamriel. This is the telling of our Lord Archon, the greatest hero who ever lived.