Bark and Sap:

The Root System and the Ecology and Culture of the Gnarl.
Disclaimer:
[The editors ish to e!press that the "ies contained herein #elong solely to the author and ha"e #een
printed posthumously and anonymously.$
%oreord:
Before this present "olume& little e!isted detailing the Root System tunnels and Gnarl #ut rumors&
superstitions& and outright falsities. 'fter consideration of such rumors& and after much research and
e!pedition into the Root Systems to see the Gnarl in their natural ha#itat firsthand& this author ill
elucidate the ecology and culture of the Gnarl& the nature of the Root System& and their sym#iotic
relationship.
The Root System:
Commonly #elie"ed to #e a series of natural ca"erns and rock formations ith roots and foliage
groing ithin& the Root System tunnels are& in fact& part of a giant li"ing organism. (ot only are these
tunnels a li"ing organic root)like entity& #ut each of the so)called *root dungeons* represents a smaller
piece of a larger hole. The roots of all the trees +indeed of most the plant life on the ,sles- all connect
directly to the large Root System.
The "arious tisting and turning tunnels ha"e #een created sloly o"er past millennia. ,ndeed& the
groth and motion of the roots is impercepti#le& though definitely recorda#le. The "ery fastest)groing
tunnels increase at a rate of a fe feet e"ery month& and the sloest a fe inches e"ery fe decades.
'm#er:
'm#er is a colorful resin formed from hardened sap. .uch like skin #leeds and sca#s o"er to protect a
ound& the Root System tunnels *#leed* a sap that congeals and hardens into 'm#er deposits. E"en
still& the alls of the roots are "ery resilient/ singing a sord at the all is not enough to puncture it.
The large fissures that cause the appearance of 'm#er are the result of the massi"e pressures and
frictional forces encountered #y the giant roots as they push through tons of rock and dirt.
The Gnarl:
The current and #est theory descri#es the Gnarl as the caretakers and steards of the Root System. The
creatures tend to the general maintenance and cleaning of the tunnels& clearing aay e!cess 'm#er.
This #eha"ior has #een o#ser"ed directly& #ut o#ser"ation time as limited due to the aggressi"e nature
of the Gnarl. 0oe"er& the a#undance of 'm#er found on the corpses of the creatures further supports
this "ie.
There has #een some con1ecture& though at present "ery little e"idence to support the claim& that as
Gnarl gro& they e"entually #ecome too large to maneu"er the tunnels& and e"entually fuse ith the
alls& #ecoming themsel"es part of the Root System. 's to the recent claims of giant Gnarl& it should
#e noted that no credita#le sources e!ist to corro#orate. 0oe"er& e"en ere these reports to #e true&
the rarity of such sightings ould suggest that only a "ery fe Gnarl e"er gro large enough to ascend
to this root)state.
2ittle is knon a#out the natural life span of the Gnarl or their social #eha"ior& since o#ser"ational
e!peditions into the Root System are difficult at #est. 3e do kno ith certainty that they are "ery
territorial. The Gnarl are so protecti"e of their tunnels that they ill respond aggressi"ely to anyone
ho comes ithin sight& hich makes studying their social systems nigh impossi#le. This #eha"ior has&
hoe"er& pro"ided us ith an a#undance of corpses to study at our leisure.
3hen e analy4e the corpses of dead Gnarl& e can see clearly that these creatures are made entirely
of plant material. They are co"ered in #ark and lea"es& and o"er time they decompose similarly to other
plant detritus. 'll attempts to *plant* Gnarl or parts thereof into the ground ha"e #een pro"en simple
folly. To date& e don5t actually kno ho the Gnarl reproduce.
6pon e!amination& e ha"e found nothing that looks like a #rain as found in other sentient creatures.
This does lend credence to the sym#iotic caretaker theory& suggesting a kind of hi"e mentality )) though
there ha"e #een no su#stantiated sightings of any such *7ueen)Gnarl* ho might #e controlling the
drones. The other a"aila#le e!planation is that it is magic that animates these creatures& though this
author finds resol"ing difficult 7uestions in this manner to #e counter)producti"e to the de"elopment of
a rational theory.
Conclusion:
The comple! Root is a li"ing organism that gros little #y little each month& tunneling #eneath the
land. 8irtually all the plant life on the ,sles is connected to this Root System. Se"ere trauma to the
system alls results in the formation of 'm#er deposits as part of its natural defense mechanism. The
Root System has a sym#iotic relationship ith the Gnarl& ho act as its protectors and caretakers& and
ho may #e phyletically and physiologically connected to the Root System itself. ,n short& e ha"e a
li"ing system& ith its on dedicated staff of protector)caretakers& groing and de"eloping largely
unnoticed #eneath our "ery feet.
[0ere the editors ish to acknoledge that the author as found dead near the entrance to one of the
*root dungeons.* 3e again ish to remind the reader that the opinions e!pressed #y this author are his
on. 3hile e do not dismiss the rational method employed #y the author in his studies& e certainly
do not deny that magic is e!planation enough for 9ur 2ord Sheogorath5s many ondrous Blessings. 3e
did& hoe"er& carefully consider omitting this clearly treasonous second half. 3e ha"e decided to
include it for 1ournalistic integrity and at the re7uest of his generous ido.$
'fterord:
'nd no& , ill "enture toards that theoretical discussion hich dras near heresy +hich , daresay
ill one day #e the end of me-& #ut hich , must put forard& for good or ill.
The common #elief is that our 2ord Sheogorath has #lessed our land ith to temperaments& .ania
and Dementia. 0oe"er& after much study and reasoning& , #elie"e that it is the "ery realm itself that
imposes upon us these to spheres of polar e!tremes:
, ha"e de"ised a cle"er e!periment& here#y , seek to pro"e this theory. ,f you take a floer from a
common plant& cut it and place its stem in ater ith dye in it& you ill notice that the petals ill
sloly take on the color of the dye. Clearly& the "eins of the plant transport the color to the lea"es.
(o& hen e look at the Dementia side of the land& colors are muted and dark& and in the .ania side
#right and colorful. , #elie"e the Root System& and the Gnarl that ser"e it& are draining the color from
the land of Dementia and gi"ing it to the land of .ania:
%or hat purpose& it isn5t clear& #ut my e!periment shos ho color is transported through plant "eins&
and hat #igger system of plant "eins is there than the giant Root System tunnel netork; ,s it not then
o#"ious that this System is the conduit of the forces of .ania and Dementia;
'nd do e not eat the plants and the fruit of the trees that connect to the Root System and the #easts
that feed on them& and drink the aters that fall from their lea"es; Do e not #reathe the air that carries
their spores and seeds; Do e not thro our on aste onto the ground to #e a#sor#ed into the soil;
Thus& are e not intimately connected to the giant Root System under our feet; Surely& e are one ith
it:
Clearly& the Root System is feeding those of us in the .ania #rilliant color& gi"ing us our mood sings&
filling our hearts ith passions and sensations& and gi"ing us poerful urges #y stealing these things
from our fellos in Dementia& lea"ing them dark& desperate& angry& "iolent& and distur#ed:
Sheogorath is not the source of our *gifts.* ,t is the land itself that has un#alanced us so:
The Gnarl are the ser"ants and life#lood of this parasitic process.
,f e ere to kill all the Gnarl& the #alance ould #e restored:
.ania ould #e less #right& true& #ut so ould Dementia #e less dark.
3e and our orld ould #ecome hole again:
2et go of your #elief in the collecti"e fantasy of Sheogorath:
2et go of your #elief in your on special *gifts:*
3e must destroy the Gnarl and the Root System:
3e must destroy those ho shackle us to #elief in some haughty and aloof ruler& ho toys ith our
emotions and ell)#eing:
To arms& #rothers and sisters:
To arms: