Could anyone tell me, lorewise, what the arcanist is? Like where they get their powers from? Is it literally just Hermaeus Mora abilities? If so that feels very limiting from a roleplay perspective
"As best as I can tell, an arcanist is a spellcaster who makes use of arcane spellforms learned from and driven by a mystic tome touched by the power of Apocrypha."
\~ What's an Arcanist? by Gabrielle Benele
Arcanists bind themselves to Apocrypha, and carry a personal Black Book that they use to call upon the power of the realm. While your roleplay will necessarily involve Apocrypha and Hermaeus Mora, the exact relationship you have with those things is up to you. Some Arcanists loathe and defy Mora, others worship Mora.
Mine is pretty typical. A Breton called Jhunal the Owl - inspired by the norse god of magic and runes, mimicking his influence - who entered a willing covenant with Mora, giving up his name and serving as Mora eye (and tentacles) in Mundus in exchange for knowledge and the power to influence fate.
This is my headcanon for the constant back and forth in the timeline that the vestige can do. He is swimming in the tides of fate, ensuring events pass as they should, for good or Ill.
You can also consider the other aspects of Mora. For the Nords, he is *The Woodland Man*, a trickster god who constantly tests the people, like when Ysgramor was almost tricked into becoming an elf. The Norse mages - called clever men/women - often bargained with the Woodland Man in exchange for secrets or power, all the while protecting themselves and their people from his corruption. You can be one of those.
You can go the Warlock route. Mora is also an ocean god, so maybe your sailor touched an eldritch relic and accidentally bound himself to Apocrypha? You could also have been forced into it, an experiment of a crazy magister? Tattoo your body with Eldritch symbols and roleplay that you were captured and your captors carved your body with the words of a black book, unwillingly turning your skin into a conduit Mora's power, like Fenris from DA2. Etc.
I don't think they were explained much. but the descriptions of the skills suggest that they are very HM oriented.
but yes it seems to be the first class that is entirely dependent one daedric prince which is kind of weird.
"As best as I can tell, an arcanist is a spellcaster who makes use of arcane spellforms learned from and driven by a mystic tome touched by the power of Apocrypha." \~ What's an Arcanist? by Gabrielle Benele
Arcanists bind themselves to Apocrypha, and carry a personal Black Book that they use to call upon the power of the realm. While your roleplay will necessarily involve Apocrypha and Hermaeus Mora, the exact relationship you have with those things is up to you. Some Arcanists loathe and defy Mora, others worship Mora. Mine is pretty typical. A Breton called Jhunal the Owl - inspired by the norse god of magic and runes, mimicking his influence - who entered a willing covenant with Mora, giving up his name and serving as Mora eye (and tentacles) in Mundus in exchange for knowledge and the power to influence fate. This is my headcanon for the constant back and forth in the timeline that the vestige can do. He is swimming in the tides of fate, ensuring events pass as they should, for good or Ill. You can also consider the other aspects of Mora. For the Nords, he is *The Woodland Man*, a trickster god who constantly tests the people, like when Ysgramor was almost tricked into becoming an elf. The Norse mages - called clever men/women - often bargained with the Woodland Man in exchange for secrets or power, all the while protecting themselves and their people from his corruption. You can be one of those. You can go the Warlock route. Mora is also an ocean god, so maybe your sailor touched an eldritch relic and accidentally bound himself to Apocrypha? You could also have been forced into it, an experiment of a crazy magister? Tattoo your body with Eldritch symbols and roleplay that you were captured and your captors carved your body with the words of a black book, unwillingly turning your skin into a conduit Mora's power, like Fenris from DA2. Etc.
It comes from the realm, not the Prince himself.
I don't think they were explained much. but the descriptions of the skills suggest that they are very HM oriented. but yes it seems to be the first class that is entirely dependent one daedric prince which is kind of weird.
There are dunmer cults that worship hermaeus mora. So maybe arcanist is one of them.
I think it's more like hm gave them access to ancient knowledge. The powers themselves are't dependent on hm.
Subordinate of C'Thun
Not necessarily limited. In lore, even practicers of his arcane arts still don't really like hermaus mora. They just use his books for power.