sheogorath ~ appearance and visions

[kossai]

true form

in physical presence of shivering isles , 13th era sheogorath take form which derive from form of mortal thaliendir : short bosmeri stature , pale skin , simple hair with one braid in front left , and short beard . there is difference , of course - after full century of thaliendir's transformation , this form have grey tones of hair , and eyes become pale green with unseen pupils .
in terms of fashion , sheogorath can appear in multitude of outfits , with priority on hues of purple and gold , asymmetrical and mismatch of elements , and decorations of swirls and stripes .

casual fashions can be very casual : may lack shirt with only overcoat , mismatch boots , and to some standards appear vaguely clownish . due to mortal thaliendir's poor experience of religion , sheogorath have high hopes to set comfortable stage . unfortunately , this can instead throw people off and bring even more discomfort , as sheogorath violate social rules of decency . furthermore , sheogorath is still sheogorath , and while 13th era sheogorath is less prone to violence than predecessors , things can still go wrong .
colours of formal regalia tend to not sear so bright , but still not dull by any means . formal regalia often have layers of ruffles and even lace , and motifs which harken back to predecessors such as golden eyes of 12th era sheogorath .

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appearance in visions and communications

as sheogorath communicate through telepathic visuals , not uncommon for recipients of messages to see sheogorath in these visions . however , not all mortals see sheogorath alike .

one factor is in madness and chaos - sheogorath's communications can quite overwhelm , so recipients might not be able to fully follow and understand messages , and thusly might struggle to interpret sheogorath's appearance . such people may only remember bright white eyes .
madfolk tend to be least susceptible to this breakdown of communication , though may still interpret appearance differently for other reasons .

another factor is potential to reflect cultural symbolisms , or races outright .
bosmer of valenwood might report sheogorath to have large antlers that swirl nonsensically and jingle with gaudy decorations , as if to mock authority of y'ffre's chosen .
khajiit often see in form of alfiq skooma cat , though rarely report ohmes appearance which bear resemblance to true form .

third , recipient's occupation can play role - most notably among artists .
painters might report sheogorath to wear apron and roll back sleeves , with rorschach-esque paint splatters across skin and clothes .
musicians tend to see sheogorath with favourite instrument of lyre , and bardic clothes more typical of tamrielic cultures - still flashy in colour , but cohesive and understandable .

lastly , as sheogorath intertwine with psyche , sometimes regular old biases come into play . sheogorath can be young in minds of children and old in minds of elders , or oppositely so , even without any intentional efforts to appear as such .

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