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RACES OF THE ELDER SCROLLS

The races in The Elder Scrolls series of computer games are grouped into several basic categories: Mer (elves), Humans, Beastfolk, and others. They are listed below.

Species-wise, only two sentient species exist on Nirn. One species are the Ehlnofey, of which all men, mer and beast folk (save Argonians) are members of. The other Species are the Hist, of which the Hist and Argonians are members of.

[edit] Mer

Mer is the collective name for all elves in The Elder Scrolls universe.^[1][2][3]. They are descendants of the "Old Ehlnofey", the half of the mythic race that wished to return to an abstract existence outside of the Mundus.

[edit] Aldmer

Aldmer, meaning First or Elder Folk, are a mythological race that was the first to appear on Nirn. The Oblivion game book Before the Ages of Man is the most comprehensive source of their history. It traces their origins first to the mythic continent of Aldmeris, noting the alternate rendering of Old Elhofney for the place.^[4] Certain maps are cautious enough to exclude the mythic continent from their mappings of the ES universe,^[5] while others place it to the south of Tamriel.^[6] Nu-Hatta of Michael Kirkbride's Nu-Mantia Intercept accords little credence to the Elves' tale., writing that that time that was once thought of as the sundering of Aldmeris was, in reality, a mere schism between Elven communities. "Outside of the Dawn, and even then only in the dreamtime of its landscape, there was never a terrestrial homeland of the Elves. 'Old Ehlnofey' is a magical ideal of mixed memories of the Dawn. Do not believe the written histories. All mortal life started on the starry heart of Dawn's beauty, Tamriel." Whatever one makes of the writing, it at least encourages caution in the credulent reading of any one source.^[7] Their first settlements are located in southwestern Tamriel, presumably Valenwood or the Summerset Isles, from which they moved on to settle the whole of Tamriel, moving as far from their home as Vvardenfell, to build Ald Redaynia, Bal Fell, Tel Aruhn, and Tel Mora.^[4] Following this, they disappear from record, presumably subsumed into Altmer or Bosmer races. The Tamriel Timeline reads the "Elves of the Summerset Isles" in the Pocket Guide's history of Cyrodiil to mean "Aldmer",^[8] although it is not certain how much this represents a judgement on the part of Xanathar or a mere slip of the pen.^[9] The term "Aldmer" is sometimes used to describe the entire Elven race, as in the "Aldmeri Dominion", or in common Elven usage, as evinced by the entry for "Aldmer" in the Elder Scrolls Treasury. To quote: "Aldmeri -- the Imperial usage is 'Elves'", indicating either a common misunderstanding of Elven meaning in the usage of "Aldmer" or the use of the term by Aldmer for themselves.^[10] Aldmer culture survives on in their language and religion. Again quoting the Treasury: "Aldmeris is the original Elvish language, still spoken as a first language among isolated Elven communities, and spoken and written by all educated Elves, and the language of the Elven arts".^[10] Such important in-game terminology as "Daedra", "Mer", "Tamriel", and the prefixes "Bet-", "Dun-", "Alt-" each derive from the Aldmeri tongue.^[11] The Morrowind game book Varieties of Faith in the Empire finds 7 of the 62 gods of Tamriel to be of positively "Aldmeri" origin.^[12][13]

[edit] Altmer

The Altmer, also called High Elves, live in Summerset Isles.^[14] They are taller than the other races and have a golden skin color. They tend to be proud and consider themselves the most civilized race.^[15]

Their unique racial abilities have changed throughout the series. In Morrowind and Oblivion they had a weakness to elemental magic, but boasted the greatest magicka bonus of all the races, while their 'pure' bodies give them greater resistance to diseases. However, in The Elder Scrolls: Arena and Daggerfall, the first two games in the series, they had none of those strength and weaknesses but instead boasted immunity to paralyzing magical effects.

Altmer is the elven name of their race, meaning High Folk, and most likely a derivation of the name of the first race of elves, the Aldmer, meaning First or Elder Folk. They consider themselves the successors of the Aldmer and the highest of all races. Unlike men, who believe themselves to have been created along with the world by the gods, Elves believe themselves to be descended from these gods, calling them the Aedra, "Ancestors". Imperial propaganda (presented in the leaflet 'A Pocket Guide to the Empire' which shipped with the game Redguard) initially portrayed them as arrogant in their superiority and heartless to the point of inhumanity, suggesting that they euthanize nine out of ten children in their quest for racial 'perfection'. In truth the same leaflet makes many other such anti-elven statements in a manner akin to real-world state-sanctioned racism. A new edition of the same fictional 'guide' was shipped with Oblivion which contained a much more favourable view of the Altmer, mentioning deep class and social struggles in which the young were rebelling against the notion of their race's superiority in general and the superiority of the Altmeri nobility in particular with many even abandoning worship of the traditional Altmeri pantheon of gods altogether.

[edit] Ayleid

The Ayleids, also known as the Wild Elves or Heartland High Elves, were the first race to establish an empire in Tamriel. They lived in a tribal society, with each "tribe" being different from the next. They were the first inhabitants of the Imperial City and apparently spoke a variation of Old Cyrodiilic. Because they lived so long ago and their language is largely undecipherable, little else is known about them. Throughout Cyrodiil many Ayleid ruins can be found. These ruins are filled with dangerous traps, monsters, bandits, and undead. Many would-be treasure hunters have died trying to plunder these lost ruins of the Ayleids.

At one point the Ayleids controlled the entirety of the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil, and enslaved the Cyrodiilic and Nordic populations (which at that point were both part of the same prototypical race of men). During this time, the Ayleids made great strides in the arcane arts. The downfall of the Ayleid civilization was a combination of cultural hubris and fomenting revolution amongst their slaves. With the blessing of the Aedra, a slave named Alessia led a revolt that resulted in the inexorable destruction of the Ayleid civilization. The surviving Ayleids frequently showed up as civil servants to the nobility in the Alessian empire, or fled to Valenwood and interbred with the Bosmer. The last known King of the Ayleids was the ruler of the city of Nenalata who controlled eastern Cyrodiil.^[8]

Also, in the expansion to TES IV: Oblivion, Knights of the Nine, it is revealed that the Ayleids held a close relationship with the Daedric Princes. It is implied that they used the Daedric magic to increase their strength to the point where they could conquer the Cyrodiilic and Nordic races, as mentioned above. This could have been a contributing factor to the Aedra giving their aid to the human races against the Ayleids to help destroy or otherwise cripple Daedric influence in Nirn.

White Gold Tower, the central spire of the Imperial City in Cyrodiil, was the central temple of the Ayleids. It now serves as the Imperial Palace for the Tamrielic Empire. The rest of their capital city was either razed or buried beneath the Imperial City.

By the Third Era, the Ayleids were driven into a state many would regard as "primitive" (hence Wild Elves) and live deep within the forests of Cyrodiil, though little is still known of modern Ayleids and their culture. Their tribes apparently possess wildly disparate cultures, but share a thread of xenophobia, likely remaining from the Alessian Reformation when Ayleidic culture was nearly destroyed.

[edit] Bosmer

The Bosmer, also called Wood Elves, inhabit the province of Valenwood.^[14] They are remarkable thieves and archers, due to the fact that they spend their time living in trees. They are also religiously carnivorous and cannibalistic as a result of the Green Pact, a central portion of the Bosmer faith.^[16][17] The Green Pact is never explicitly shown, but in its simplest sets these rules down: Bosmer may only consume meat-based products and are forbidden to harm any plant for their own betterment. As a result of these stipulations, Bosmer are dependent on either stone or imported timber for construction purposes.

The Green Pact has also heavily impacted Bosmeri cuisine, combat, and weaponry. They have developed methods of fermenting meat and milk to develop powerful alcoholic beverages and weapons such as bows are often made of treated and shaped bones. Most notable about Bosmeri combat is their stipulation that a combatant must consume an enemy's corpse within a short time after killing them. This has led to changes in approaches to combat, such as fasting and planning family feasts following a battle.

Bosmer are unique among the races of Tamriel in that they possess the ability to transform their shapes. According to legend, the Bosmer witnessed the death of Yffre, the first of the Ehlnofey to die. In his passing, his spiritual energies formed an Earthbone, a natural law, to limit certain aspects of the world. Yffre's Earthbone placed a limit on the ability of a being to change its form and nature, as previously they could change them at will. However, the Bosmer, having witnessed the formation of the Earthbone, learned how to manipulate it to avoid its restrictions. The most notable of their uses of this ability is the Wild Hunt, a ritual known only to the shaman of Valenwood. Reserved to protect Valenwood from invading forces, the ritual permanently transforms all participants into mindless, blood-thirsty monsters, who will then consume all of their enemies and then themselves. The Bosmer have noted that all monsters in the world were born from previous Wild Hunts.

[edit] Chimer

Chimer (changed folk) are an extinct race. They fled from the Aldmeri (elven) home of Summerset after their religious conversion, and settled in the land of the Dwemer, later known as Morrowind. The Chimer were often in conflict with their neighbors, the Dwemer and Nords, due to religious and racial conflicts respectively. Eventually, the Chimer, under the rule of Nerevar Moon-and-Star, formed a lasting alliance with the Dwemer in order to drive back the Nords. This peace lasted until the Chimer learned of the Dwemeri attempts to create a god, and the Chimer attacked, successfully preventing the awakening of Numidium. But after the Battle of Red Mountain, during which the Dwemer vanished in unexplained circumstances, they were transformed into Dunmer by the Daedric Goddess Azura as punishment either for when the Tribunal broke their oath to Nerevar and Azura by making themselves gods or for their possible murder of Nerevar.

The Chimeri Exodus was led by the prophet Veloth, who later became a prominent saint in the Tribunal Temple, in the Merethic Era and was done so the Chimer could practice Daedra worship. The Dunmer attribute the inspiration for this exodus to the Daedric Prince Boethiah. They say he ate a prominent figure of the Aldmeri religion, Trinimac, and used his voice to show the Chimer the lies of the Aedra, who the Aldmer worshiped. He spoke of various ways in which they should live and demonstrated how to complete the Exodus. Other Daedric Princes, such as Mephala and Azura, initiated other changes and taught other lessons to the early Chimer, as well.

A possible hint to the appearance of the Chimer can be seen in Morrowind in the persons of Vivec and Almalexia, who were both of the Chimer race before the formation of the Tribunal. They appear to have been similar in height and build to Dunmer, with a coloring similar to Altmer. As the Chimer were actually a splinter faction of the Altmer, this is not surprising.

[edit] Dunmer

left|thumb|Dunmer as they appear on the Elder Scrolls websiteDunmer, also called Dark Elves, hail from Morrowind.^[18] They are the Elder Scrolls variation of dark elves, a popular fictional race in role-playing games and fantasy literature. Gameplay-wise, they are well-balanced (tending towards a battlemage or spellsword class) and are the recommended choice of race for new players, along with Imperials. The Dunmer are the descendants of the Chimer, who were punished by the Daedric goddess Azura for the betrayal of the Tribunal. Azura's punishment was to turn the color of all the Chimer race's skin to ash-gray and their eyes to ruby red

Native-born Dunmer tend to look down on "outlanders", which are other races or Dunmer born outside of Morrowind, though the intensity of this xenophobia varies from place to place. The land from which the Dunmer hail is to the far east of the Empire and is commonly known as Morrowind (which contains the island of Vvardenfell). Slavery is practiced in Morrowind, and slaves are mostly either of Khajiit or Argonian descent, although some men and elves are also enslaved there, a practice that had been more common in the past. The Empire of Tamriel has a ban on slavery but, as part of the terms of Morrowind's entrance into the Empire, Dunmer were allowed to keep their own sacred and traditional laws. However, in the sequel to Morrowind, Oblivion, it is revealed that slavery has been abolished and the slaves freed by the king of Morrowind Province, Hlaalu Helseth, with House Dres and House Hlaalu supporting the move. This can be discovered through dialogue with recurring characters from Morrowind.

Though some Dunmer, especially of House Hlaalu, have become assimilated into Imperial and foreign culture, almost all retain many of their traditions and values, and some Dunmer even prefer living a tribal life as Ashlanders - in small, tight-knit tribes in the deserts and scorched plains of the Ashlands and on the plains of the Grazelands. In the Ashlands, native tribes rule without laws or care for government, and live strictly by honour codes, rituals and ancient traditions usually dictated by a wise woman or seer. Historically, half of the ancient Dunmer chose this lifestyle, with the others creating or joining the Great Houses and establishing such cities as Balmora or Vivec. The land is so harsh and dangerously infested with creatures such as Alits and cliff racers that westerners and Imperial garrisonmen dare not venture out of the safety of Dunmer settled areas. Dunmer do not ride horses, or own them for that purpose - rather, horses in Morrowind are raised for the slaughter, to be eaten as food.^[19][20] This fact mentioned, with some hesitation, by Morrowind's level designer Gary Noonan, during a development chat as a cautionary note against the possible inclusion of rideable horses in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. A chat in which Morrowind's lead character designer also assured expectant consumers that, in Morrowind, there would be "no horse eating allowed".^[21] Horses were definitively excluded from the game by Todd Howard in February 2001.^[22] Ken Rolston offered the Dunmer diet as a rationale for why the game ended up without them.^[20]

The Dunmer themselves, previously known as the Chimer, or 'changed folk' due to their worship of the Daedra, rather than the Aedra (Gods) worshipped by the other Aldmer in Summerset, traditionally gained their dark skin as a result of the Battle of Red Mountain. It was in this battle that the Dwemer were obliterated. The Dwemer are a major part of Dunmeri history. During the battle, all Dwemer were mysteriously obliterated, presumably by their own technology. Though the change in the elves' skin tone was traditionally interpreted as the will of Azura, alternative theories certainly exist. The Dwemer's complex technology could have been the cause instead, as it functioned on a technological level incomprehensible to the "old-world" style, horses-and-swords environment present in the Elder Scrolls world. The official Imperial line of thought, however, is that the Dunmer simply exterminated the Dwemer and that their bluish-grey skin is the result of adaptation to their harsh, rather volcanic environment.

[edit] Dwemer

Dwemer meaning "Deep Elves" are a lost race that lived primarily in the region of Vvardenfell. They were a reclusive, independent race, dedicated to the principles of science, alchemy, and engineering. They did not die out; instead, the entire race vanished into thin air all at the same time around the world. Yagrum Bagarn is the only known remaining living Dwemer on Nirn. Yagrum Bagarn resides in the Corprusarium deep underneath the island of Vvardenfell, in the Morrowind province of Tamriel. He has Corprus, and so lives eternally in constant pain. He is searching for clues to the whereabouts of his race when you find him in TESIII: Morrowind. In the tribunal expansion pack of morrowind, there is also a quest that leads you meet a dwemer ghost whose name is Radac and can be found in Radac's Forge. This dwemer is largely not thought of due to the fact that he does not give any clues about the dwemer race and is not alive.

Records of Dwemer activity date back to before the First Era, most notably in the Vvardenfell region (Vvardenfell, in Dwemeris, means "City of the Strong Shield"), which has the highest concentration of Dwemer ruins of any land in Tamriel. Feuding between Chimer and Dwemer continued until the First Council, when the Dwemer and Chimer unite to expel the Nords from Morrowind. One clan of Dwemer, the Rourken, refused to make peace with the Chimer, and their patriarch threw his ceremonial warhammer, Volendrung, across Tamriel, proclaiming that his clan would settle where it landed. Eventually, they settled in modern-day Hammerfell (explaining that region's name), home of the Redguards.

Eventually, however, tensions developed between the Chimer and Dwemer once again. A great war erupted between them, eventually leading to the mysterious disappearance of the Dwemer during The Battle of Red Mountain. The difficulty was prompted by the discovery of a mythological artifact known as the Heart of Lorkhan by the Dwemer, deep in the mountains' bowels. The Chief Tonal Architect Kagrenac, their de facto religious leader, devised a set of tools (Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard) to manipulate the Heart to instill divinity to his people, but the spell failed and caused all known Dwemer to vanish (Varying accounts state that their connection to the heart was severed, although this seems unlikely. Other accounts suggest that Kagrenac used his Tools to release the Dwemer from the Mortal Plane, but this is even more implausible). Since 1E 668, no word has been heard of the Dwemer, with the notable exception of Yagrum Bagarn, who resides in the Corprusarium of Tel Fyr. Apparently, he was absent from the Mortal Plane at the time of the disappearance, visiting an Outer Realm, an alternate dimension. His 3000 years of exploration and 500 years of investigation have yielded no leads on the presence of his people on Mundus or any other plane of existence currently known.

There are many mysteries among the Dwemer creations left behind. Mages Guild investigators have discovered that if one of the centurion spiders is taken away from Vvardenfell, it gradually becomes more sluggish, eventually going into a state of torpor. Even more curious is that upon return, the spider re-activates back to normal aggressive levels, as if sensing the presence of the Dwemer ruins. Strangely, the Dwemer robots reactivate in the lands of the Redguard also.

Dwemer artifacts are highly prized throughout the Empire, although since they are technically the property of the Emperor under the charter of the Imperial Society of Architecture and Design as well as the Imperial Historical Society, the sale of them is illegal. This does not seem to stop artifacts from falling off the backs of wagons or otherwise disappearing into various collections. Dwemer weapons and armour are especially valued, renowned for their excellent craftsmanship and sturdy design. However, acquisition of these artifacts is extremely dangerous, because of the remote location of the ruins, and the multitude of aged and no-longer reliable Dwemeri machinery within, including the Steam Centurion and other automata, as well as sophisticated traps of which the Dwemer were particularly fond.

[edit] Falmer

It is thought that the Falmer ("Snow Elves") were the original elven inhabitants of Skyrim, the northernmost province of the continent of Tamriel, and were defeated and displaced by the Nords. The Pocket Guide to the Empire in the chapter on Skyrim mentions the Snow Elves as a local superstition, with Nord villagers blaming them for a number of random misfortunes and scant physical evidence of their existence.^[23] In Bloodmoon the player may choose to pursue a quest to find out more about the Falmer.^[24]

There are two mutually exclusive hypotheses about the fate of the Falmer. The Skaal claim that the Rieklings are descended from the Falmer. On the other hand, an Altmer scholar in Raven Rock claims that the Rieklings are merely snow goblins, and that the Snow Elves have blended with the other elven races through interbreeding. The in game book Fall of the Snow Prince seems to support the latter hypothesis. It chronicles the defeat of the Snow Prince, an elven leader, at the Battle of Moesring.^[25][26]

[edit] Left-Handed Elves

Only briefly mentioned in a few in-game books, the Left-Handed Elves supposedly lived in the Redguard homeland of Yokuda. It is implied they were entirely destroyed by the Redguards in a war between the two. They are thought to have created the Orichalc tower of Yokuda.

[edit] Maormer

Maormer reside on the island of Pyandonea south of the continent of Tamriel. They have pale, almost chameleon like skin and yellow eyes. They originally lived in Summerset Isles, but they were exiled by the High Elves. Their leader is an immortal wizard named Orgnum Thras. The Maormer practice a snake-like magic which they use to tame sea-serpents.^[27]

[edit] Orsimer

right|thumb|Orsimer as they appear on the elder scrolls website. Although beast-like in appearance, the Orsimer (Pariah Folk or simply Orcs) are descended from a group of Altmer (or even Aldmer) that worshipped a god named Trinimac.^[28] Trinimac is the strongest of Altmeri ancestor spirits, and is described in-game as having led his Orsimer people to war against the dissident Chimer, who coveted the machines and industry of the heathen Dwemer. The Daedric Prince Boethiah, however, decides to eat Trinimac, ending his war plans, corrupting his essence and remaking him as the Daedric Prince Malacath. Incidentally, his people lost their Elven features, and became the beastly Orcs.^[13][29][28] Orsimer were the former inhabitants of the province of Hammerfell,^[9] but lost their land to the armies of Redguards.^{[30][9][31][32][33]} The Orcish capital city is located near High Rock, and is called Orsinium.^[27][34] According to in-game Morrowind descriptions, the Orcs are "sophisticated barbarian beast peoples", "noted for their unshakeable courage in war and their unflinching endurance of hardships". "In the past, Orcs have been widely feared and hated by the other nations and races of Tamriel, but they have slowly won acceptance in the Empire, in particular for their distinguished service in the Emperor's Legions. Orcish armorers are prized for their craftsmanship, and Orc warriors in heavy armor are among the finest front-line troops on the battlefield. Most Imperial citizens regard Orc society as rough and cruel, but there is much to admire in their fierce tribal loyalties and generous equality of rank and respect among the sexes."^[35]

[edit] Human

Human in The Elder Scrolls is a generic term and does not nessessarily indicate a shared ancestry among those races it is applied to. The Imperials and Nords are of Nedic ancestry and the Nedes in turn trace their lineage back to the continent of Atmora, the Bretons are of mixed Nedic and Elvish heritage, and the Redguards originated on the continent of Yokuda. Humans, for the most part, descend from the "Wandering Ehlnofey", the half of the mythic race that accepted Nirn and wished to live on it.

[edit] Breton

right|thumb|Bretons as they appear on the Elder Scrolls website. The Bretons are half-elves, with more human than elvish blood, and populate the province of High Rock, where the second game of the series, Daggerfall, takes place. They are capable mages with high magicka resistance but other than that they have few distinctive features. They are considered an intelligent human race in Tamriel, known for a proficiency in abstract thinking, a possible reason for their adeptness in the magical arts.^[36]

Bretons originated in the First Era. A series of raids on Nedic holdings by the Aldmer, resulted in the destruction of all human settlements in Skyrim. Many Nedes were enslaved some of whom were used as pleasure slaves and gave birth to mixed offspring. These offspring were termed Manmer by Nords. While the Aldmer maintained control of Tamriel, the Manmer lived as lower-class citizens, supporting their meric brethren. After the Aldmer lost their foothold, the remaining Manmer interbred with the controlling human races. The Bretons of modern-day Tamriel have a much-diluted meric ancestry, seen in their higher magical affinity.

[edit] Imperial

thumb|left|Imperials as they appear on the Elder Scrolls website Natives of the civilized, cosmopolitan province of Cyrodiil,^[8] the Imperials are well-educated and well-spoken. Though less physically imposing than the other races, the Imperials are shrewd diplomats and traders. These traits, along with their remarkable skill and training as light infantry, have enabled them to subdue all the other provinces of Tamriel and unite them under the banner of their prosperous empire.^[37]

Imperials were not a playable race in Daggerfall, and "the Imperial Province" (that is, Cyrodiil), was declared to have "no indigenous race".^[38] The Imperial race is playable in Morrowind as well as Oblivion.

The Imperial race is further divided into two sub-races: the Colovians; independent rural folk in the west of Cyrodiil, and the cosmopolitan Nibenese occupying the rest of Cyrodiil. The Colovians historically are not as reverent to the established Cyrodiilic religion as the Nibenese.

Imperials were originally brought to Cyrodiil as slaves to the Heartland High Elves, or Ayleids. The Imperials have been in control of Cyrodiil, along with the rest of the Empire, since the fall of the Ayleids. Imperials have had many wins and losses in the wars of the past, some through struggle, others through annihilation of the opponents' armies. Wars like the one that led to the conquering of Morrowind were won by default, due to a mere peace treaty.

[edit] Nede

The now extinct Nedes originally lived on the frozen continent of Atmora, where they banded into small clans who fought in a great civil war. A small group of Nedes then migrated and settled in northern Tamriel.

The Nedic hero Ysgramor, leader of a great colonizing fleet to Tamriel, developed a runic transcription of Nordic speech based on Aldmeri principles, and was the first recorded human historian. Ysgramor's fleet landed at Hsaarik Head at the extreme northern tip of Skyrim's Broken Cape. They built the legendary city of Saarthal and lived with the Aldmer in relative peace until the Aldmeri began to notice the comparatively fast growth of the Nedic people's population.

The Elves drove the Men away during the Night of Tears, but Ysgramor soon returned with his Five Hundred Companions. These Five Hundred Companions settled and those who stayed in Skyrim became the Nords, with those going west breeding with the Aldmer and becoming the Bretons and those going south becoming the Imperials.

The remaining Nedes raided Elvish settlements along the coast from Skyrim and Atmora until 1E68. The last two ships from Atmora pulled into a harbor with more than half their crews dead. Atmora had become a frozen wasteland, and all who still lived there had died.

[edit] Nord

thumb|Nords as they appear on the Elder Scrolls website The Nords inhabit the northern province of Skyrim.^[23] They are strong and able warriors who are also highly resistant to frost. They are generally blonde, fair skinned, and blue eyed. Their origins can be traced all the way to the continent of Atmora.^[39] Little is known of the geography and history of Atmora, as at the time of the migration from there, humanity did not possess a written language. What little is runic writing, as well as old Elvish records which are not open to Imperial scholars, but which are known to refer to the continent as 'Aldmora', meaning "Elder Wood". It is likely Atmora is a human corruption of this word. In a historical sense, the humans who live there are called "Nedes", as are those humans living in Tamriel before King Harald, thirteenth of the Ysgramor line, seceded from Atmoran rulership, after which they are historically annotated as Cyro-Nordics, to illustrate that the Cyrodiil people had not yet gone separate from the original trunk of human population.

When designing the Nordic people and culture, Bethesda Softworks took inspiration from a combination of real-world historical sources, including most prominently the Scandinavian kingdoms, northern (especially Baltic) Russia, the Jutland peninsula, and northern Scotland. In terms of literature, a page may have been taken from Tolkien in the form of the Dúnedain, the last descendants of an ancient race of mythical High Men.

[edit] Akaviri

Little is known about them other than that they were natives of Akavir and are no longer around. Their downfall was somehow brought on by the snake-men. They appear to be based on the real world feudal Japanese civilization.

[edit] Redguard

For the 1997 game of the same name, please see The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard

left|thumb|Redguards as they appear on the Elder Scrolls website The Redguards hail from the province of Hammerfell in western Tamriel. They are noted for their great strength, agility, and physical hardiness, and are very adept at surviving in hot, dry conditions. They possess dark skin, ranging from light brown to nearly black in hue, often with a distinct reddish tint. ^[40]

Redguards (in their own language 'Yokudans', taken simply from the name of their homeland) hail from the western continent of Yokuda, which sank into the sea in ancient times. This was probably the result of a tectonic shift in the form of an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, however, the Redguards seem under the impression that it was in some way their fault. Upon the sinking of their homeland, which apparently was predictable to some degree, the Yokudan fleet set sail to the east, where they shored at the continent of Tamriel, in the province of Hammerfell.

At the time, Hammerfell was populated largely with Orsimer (Orcs) who were known for their toughness and ferocity in battle. The Yokudans, knowing they must settle to survive as a people, launched a Ra'gada a "warrior wave", at the shores of Hammerfell, conscripting every man and boy capable of wielding a sword into the strong and capable Yokudan military. They attacked the Orc towns and cities in lightning raids, took no prisoners and after only a few brutal months, had established a strong presence along the western shores of Hammerfell. From this foothold they continued to launch assault after assault, eventually succeeding in nearly exterminating the Orcs, and making way for the High King and the Yokudan royalty, known as Na-Totambu, to arrive with safety in Hammerfell, without fear of assassination. It is from this Ra'gada that the Redguards take their name. By defeating the superhumanly strong and hardy Orcs, they solidified their place in history as the greatest warriors in the known world.

[edit] Kothringi

A race of men mentioned in only a few in-game books hailing from Black Marsh. They were said to look like men only with metallic skin and were quite common in Black Marsh during the second era. They were eventually wiped out by a plague before the start of the third era.

Their origin is unknown. Some say they are the result of Nedes and Argonians interbreeding, others say that they were simply Nedic settlers that adapted to life in Black Marsh.

[edit] Akaviri

Akaviri refers broadly to races from the continent of Akavir which means "Dragon Land". Often it is used to refer to the Tsaeci in particular as they have had the most influence on Tamriel. They have Asian influences. The Ka Po' Tun are most likely based after the Chinese culture given their strong affiliations with Dragons and that they are implied to be "descendants of the dragon". The Tsaesci is obviously based on the Japanese culture given that they were the ones that brought many Japanese themed weapons such as the katana and wakizashi into Tamriel and that members of the race have Japanese-inspired names; also notable is that the Tsaesci killing off the original, human inhabitants of their land could be compared to the Japanese we know today assimilating and oppressing the Ainu, or indigenous Japanese. The Tang Mo could be based off a couple of different civilizations: the Mauryan Empire of India who successfully drove out every invader to their lands, or, going by the Chinese-influenced name, as well as the fact they live on islands, they could be the islanders of the South China Sea, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. They could also be simply a representation of the countless other Chinese ethnic groups besides the Han (Ka Po' Tun), and this would also make sense, due to always repelling barbarians from the frozen north. The Tang Mo are also perhaps a nod to the Monkey King, a character from the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. Nothing much has been revealed about the Kamal, but due to vague descriptions of the people as war mongers, and their homeland being an icy wasteland, they could be based off of the Mongols.

[edit] Ka Po' Tun

The Ka Po'Tun are a race of tiger people that live on Akavir. Their name means "Tiger-Dragon's Empire". When the Tsaesci supposedly tried to eat all the dragons in their Empire, the dragons fled to Po' Tun, as the empire of tiger people was called then. A great war raged across the land, leaving all the black dragons and all but a few red dragons dead. The remaining red dragons retreated to Tamriel, where they were supposedly given refuge in Cyrodiil. Ever since, the tiger people that remained have tried to somehow become dragons. Tosh Raka is the first one to succeed. Apparently he is the largest Dragon on Nirn, with orange and black coloring, and has built Ka Po' Tun into the largest empire of Akavir. He desires the destruction of Tsaesci, after which he intends to invade the Tamriel. The first born-son of an Emperor is known as a Half-Breed, this is a title and rank.

[edit] Kamal

Kamal, meaning "Snow Hell", is one of four nations of Akavir. It is home to armies of snow demons. Every summer these demons thaw out and attempt to invade the neighboring nation of Tang Mo, home to many breeds of monkey-people, but every year they are repelled.

[edit] Tsaesci

The Tsaesci, which means Snake Palace, are a race of vampiric serpents. The serpent-folk apparently ate the men that had lived on Akavir, although this could mean that they assimilated with them as a culture. Their appearance has been described differently on many occasions, the only consistency being that they are "tall, beautiful (if frightening), [and] covered in golden scales." They have been described as having human upper bodies and snake lower bodies, to being entirely snake-like. A book describes one of the late king's children in a battle with a Tsaesci. It is said the creature had two tails and amazing grace, it also mentions that these creatures had never used shields and when faced with one it was confused, 'if you don't want to get hit then get out of the way,' is their motto. The king's child won by eventually overcoming the nimble beast.The appearance may however be inaccurate, and made up by storytellers to make the Tsaesci more monster-like. They are actually closely related to men, and are loosely classified as humans. This could either be due to shared origins or interbreeding with Akaviri humans.

The Tsaesci once invaded Tamriel in 1E 2703, but were driven back by the forces of Emperor Reman I. Surviving Tsaesci in Cyrodiil served as mercenaries and personal guards of nobles. They left many influences on the Imperials, including the Dai-katana and Dragonscale armor, as well as the uniform of the Blades and the Red Dragon symbol of the Empire. Several Tsaesci even served as Potentate, acting in place of the Emperor when the Reman dynasty ended. The first Potentate, Versidue-Shaie, ushered the Tamrielic Empire into the Second Era, an era of chaos and upheaval. He, and his heir, ruled Tamriel for four hundred years, until the Akaviri Potentate was assassinated by the Morag Tong in 2E 430.

[edit] Tang Mo

Tang Mo, meaning "Thousand Monkey Isles", is one of four nations of Akavir, a continent far east of Tamriel. Tang Mo is home to many breeds of monkey-folk who are described as kind, brave, simple, and often crazy. At some point or another every other Akaviri nation has made an attempt at enslaving the people of Tang Mo, and every summer the snow demons of the neighboring nation of Kamal thaw out and attempt to invade Tang Mo, but the brave monkey-people have always successfully repelled their enemies. The monkey-people have strong hatred toward the snow demons of Kamal and the serpent-folk of Tsaesci, but after a history of strife have come to ally with the tiger-folk of Ka Po' Tun.

[edit] Dragons

Killed off by the Tsaesci, they were said to be very intelligent and capable of communication with nedic visitors to Akavir. The dragons of Vvardenfell were supposedly wiped out by the cliff racers that were brought south from Akavir during their invasion of Tamriel and found a natural home in the wastes of the island.^[41]

[edit] Beast races

[edit] Argonian

Main article: Argonian

The Argonians are a reptilian race that is native to Black Marsh.^[27] They can breathe underwater and are highly resistant to disease. They have scaly features, a tail, and are very stealthy and agile, though not as agile as the Khajiit.^[42][43]

[edit] Hist

The Hist were originally the trees of Argonia, though the term has mistakenly been used for the Argonians.^[27][43] During the great war between the Ehlnofey, the Hist were bystanders, but most of their realm was destroyed as the war passed over it. A small corner of it survived to become the Black Marsh province in Tamriel, but most of their realm was sunk beneath the sea.^[3] According to the Monomyth, the Hist acknowledge Sithis in his role as the original creator.^[44] The Hist have been tossed around quite frequently on The Elder Scrolls Official Forums, all due to one dangerously mislaid sentence. In the PGE, Argonians are said to never have left their homeland "except for a relatively intelligent strain called the hist. [sic]"^[27] This statement, implying that the Argonians are a type of Hist, left quite a bit of fallout, but was resolved by a clear statement by Mark Nelson that the whole thing resulted from ignorance on the part of the editors of the Guide.

Hist are, in fact, great sentient trees worshipping the eternal, immutable, god of chaos, Sithis. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find many canonical statements about the Hist in game lore. The Annotated Anuad gives us the some information, telling us that the Hist are one of two races to survive the "twelve worlds of Creation," along with the Ehlnofey, and that the Hist had a great homeland sunk beneath the sea by the wars of the Ehlnofey. It is never certain how much credence one should give to a creation myth. Any statements regarding the Hist's survival of the twelve worlds of a Creation should be treated with due suspicion.^[3]

Argonians are known to have deep connections with the Hist, calling themselves "people of the root,"^[45] and licking the leaking sap of their trunks in religious rites.

In Oblivion, if the player chooses to embark on the Fighters' Guild faction quest, they will eventually come to a mission in which they must discover the source of the Blackwood Company's power. The player discovers that the Blackwood Company is using the sap of a Hist tree. They succeeded in smuggling a whole Hist tree from Black Marsh in order to have a constant supply of the illegal sap.^[46]

[edit] Imga

The Great Apes, or Imga reside in the Imperial province of Valenwood and idealize the local Wood Elves, with some going so far as to shave themselves and powder their skin so as to better emulate their appearance.^[14]

To date, no Imga have appeared in an Elder Scrolls game, and the only reference to the Imga appears in the 'Pocket Guide to the Empire' which describes the provinces of the Cyrodilic Empire as of the year 864 of the Second Era. It is unknown whether the Imga have since gone extinct or have simply been overlooked.

[edit] Khajiit

right|thumb|Khajiit as they appear on the Elder Scrolls website The Khajiit are feline race hailing from the province of Elsweyr.^[47] Khajiit vary considerably in appearance ranging from almost Elven Ohmes-raht to larger species such as the Senche (large tigers used as mounts) and the Cathay-Raht (warrior "jaguar men").^[47][48][49] Khajiit are generally excellent thieves and good fighters,^[48] and fierce individualists with no sense of private property. They vary from orange to dusky red.

Characteristics shared by Khajiit including names and name ranks (i.e. the usage of mother and father titles, their profound relgious beliefs) hint at them being an Arabic themed race. The Argonians and Khajiit both share similar voices, in which the males speak in an Arabic accented manner and way of speech, but the voices are believed to sound the way they do because of their beastly shaped faces. Khajiit speak Ta'agra.

Khajiit are chiefly one of the underclasses in Morrowind, usually working as slaves or living on the street as beggars. They have a large presence in the Thieves' Guild, partly for this reason.

Highway-men gangs in the province of Cyrodil seem to be exclusivly Khajiit which at first might have been thought of as Theives' Guild affiliation, but is disproved because of the way The Theives' Guild conducts its work.

The Ka Po'Tun, another feline race, share most of their characteristics, as far as known, with the Khajiit, which can be lead to make the assumption that they are a spawn of race of the Khajiit that resides in the Akivir nation.

[edit] Sload

thumb|left|Concept Art of a Sload The Sload are a race of sluglike beastmen that live in the Coral Kingdoms of Thras, southwest of Tamriel. They have generally followed an isolationist policy, with only limited contact and trade with Tamriel, therefore their history is not well known. The most important event known is when they released the Thrassian Plague upon Tamriel in 1E2200, killing more than half of the population. In response, Tamriel assembled the All Flags Navy that ravaged Thras, killing all the Sload it could find and finally sinking it with unknown magics. The Sload, however, survived, and Thras has since risen again.^[27]

[edit] Divine

See: Aedra, Daedra

[edit] References

Template:TES-races

ARGONIAN

right|thumb|An Argonian featured on the Elder Scrolls website

The Argonians are a fictional race of reptilian humanoids from the Elder Scrolls video game series. Argonians are described as a cold-blooded beast race of reptilian humanoids, consistently portrayed throughout the Elder Scrolls series of games as intelligent, quick and agile, tending towards the in-game character classes of the mage and the thief.^[1] Within the ES world, Argonians inhabit the swampy region of Black Marsh.^[2]

The Argonians have no deities, but instead worship the revered Hist; it is unclear as to what the Hist actually are, however. Some references point towards the Hist being a different breed of Argonians that are ugly, frail, yet intelligent. Other sources imply that the Hist is a type of ancient, semi-sentient tree considered sacred by the Argonians, and that the tree secretes a type of sap-like resin that hardens and when molded can make ideal armor. Throughout The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, several of the humanoid races, such as Nords, Imperials, and Redguards, are depicted as being racist towards Argonians.

[edit] Development

The appearance of the race has been progressively developed over the series as minor refinements in their design were made for each game. Argonians were a dark skinned humanoid race in Arena, only distinguishable from the Dunmer by their ragged mouths and eyes, with hair ranging from blue-green to bright red. It is speculated that the Arena Argonians weren't Argonians at all, but rather the Kothringi Tribesmen, a rumored hybrid race of Nords and Argonians, the only other sentient race to survive in Argonia and thus, as residents of Argonia, technically Argonians themselves.^[3] Argonians became in Daggerfall reptilian humanoids with serpentine tails, lizard-like faces, dull green skin and lime-colored ventral scales. During the development of Morrowind, Argonians were given an odd gait, and lost their previously humanoid legs to gain feet as long as their thighs, and were made to keep their knees constantly bent.^[1] The development team encountered difficulties in the implementation of this design feature, and an entirely separate animation system was developed to model the Argonians' digitigrade legs.^[4] In the move to Morrowind their colouring was changed as well, with tan replacing green as the dominant shade in their scales, and males given accentuated colouring along their spines, upper chests and necks.^[1] Oblivion finds the Argonians with human legs once again, due to the aforementioned difficulty with the animation system,^[5] and with a character creation tool affording greater variation in scale tone.

Argonians, like the other series races,^[6] have been given certain abilities to reflect their racial strengths throughout the games. In both Morrowind and Oblivion they were given the ability to breathe underwater, suggesting an amphibian propensity, in line with various lore descriptions of their aquatic habits. For example, they have been described in every game manual since Daggerfall as being equally at home in both water and on land.^[1] The Morrowind website also describes the Argonian race as "[having] developed natural immunities to the diseases and poisons that have doomed many would-be explorers into the region",^[2] which is again reflected in their abilities, with Argonians given a significant chance of bearing no infection from poisonous blows and diseased animals. Argonians also possess a thick scaly hide, compared by a developer to that of a snake. Physically tougher than what the Argonians call "soft-skins", Argonians are given a small bonus to their Unarmored skill.^[1]

[edit] Physical description

While Argonians appear reptilian in nature at first glance, they also exhibit fish- and amphibian-like qualities, such as being able to breathe underwater, having small gills behind their ears, and, in Morrowind, swimming using the same body mechanism as that of a tadpole or eel, waving its tail side-to-side to propel itself through the water.

In-game lore portrays the Argonian reproductive cycle as somewhat complex. The author of Notes on Racial Phylogeny states that it is unclear "whether the Argonians and Khajiit are interfertile with both humans and elves," there being "many reports...of children from these unions," but "no well documented offspring." The author is hesitant to give any classification to the race at all, and leaves undecided whether Argonians are to be classified with "dreugh, men, mer, or...certain tree-dwelling lizards in Black Marsh."^[7] According to the Savant's Note on Vvardenfell most "Imperial scholars" hold a different position, and consider "Men, Elves, and Beastmen as 'men,' on the basis that individuals of all three groups can mate with one another."^[8] Following this scholarly knowledge, certain Cyrodiilic Imperials have been known to take up Argonian women as sexual partners, and been none the worse off for it.^[9][10] Whether or not Argonians lay eggs has been seen to be a contentious issue even amongst the series developers. Mark Nelson made a post in-character to the Elder Scrolls Forums which seemed to imply that both were possible, but Pete Hines replied back that Argonians were most certainly ovoviviparous, gestating and hatching eggs inside their bodies. Mark Nelson replied back with the cautionary "perhaps it is both, as necessity demands." In-game dialogue suggests in an offhand way that Argonians are nested in their youth, but the way in which it is said, "My parents caught me and a boy from my nest in a soft-leaf patch right before the naming ceremony" does not give any certainty as to whether the nest acts as a place to hatch eggs, and the author of the Argonian Compendium suggests that it might merely be a name for a social institution.^[1]

Many cursory remarks give the impression that the relationship between the Argonians and the Hist as nearing the level of symbiosis. From the keyboard of Mark Nelson: "I will tell you that there's more to the Hist than has been told, and they and the Argonians have a much deeper relationship than previously thought...Black Marsh is, sadly, far too unexplored, leaving the enigmatic Argonians shrouded in a bit too much mystery for my liking." Gary Noonan provides a description of the Argonians as being similar to the Khajiit, and varying from a nearly human to a completely lizardlike race much like the Khajiit vary from a nearly human to an entirely catlike race, depending on how many times "they decide to lick the tree". In further posts by Mark Nelson he commented that he was not willing to speak of the relationship between the Hist. "As for the relationship, I'm not talking yet." "There has been talk about how the Hist (and Hist sap) are related to Argonian sexuality. This hasn't changed...it's still related. And, it's not a taboo topic; I just don't think it's the most interesting one out there." The issue has not since been delved into with any more depth or clarity.^[1]

[edit] Vocalizations and language

Argonians have kept a tendency to hiss and lengthen the 's' sound throughout the series. King Edward, a Daggerfall book that contained the first significant role for an Argonian in a piece of in-game writing, had its Argonian character first described as "a strange looking lizardlike man, who spoke with such a hissing accent that Edward couldn't understand him at all."^[11] A sample of his dialogue from later on in the book should be enough to demonstrate the customary Argonian method of speech. "I am not ssssure that Magicka isss usssed; perhapss there isss yet another capability involved here. Thisss capability would be unknown at thisss time, and maybe even unsssenssssed... but I feel fairly certain that sssomehow it is a godly 'force' that they are employing."^[12] The tendency continued on in the voice acting for the later games, in Morrowind and Oblivion. The race-specific voice acting in Morrowind received praise from some reviewers,^[13][14] though was met with disdain from others, who disliked the discord between a culturally inflected voice spoken in an alien dialect and the grammatically flawless dialogue printed in the dialogue boxes.^[15] Oblivion, by making all dialogue spoken, was generally better received, with its voice-acting variously described as "uniformly excellent and star-studded,"^[16] "generally excellent,"^[17] and "solid,"^[18] although the race-specific quality of it escaped note.

Within the series lore, Argonians lack as developed a language as, for example, the Dwemer, the Aldmer or even the Khajiit.^[19] The only truly reliable source, according to the TES Translation Dictionary and the Argonian Compendium,^[20][1] provides only a single translation. This reliable source, a Morrowind side quest, provides a translation only for "Haj-Ei", which is said to mean "Hides His Eyes". The quest itself plays on the meaning of the word, and players with more intelligent characters or players that play as Argonians are able to quickly skip to the end of the quest, due to the brutal obviousness of the translation.^[20][21] Another potential source is an early development version of the Annotated Anuad, which contains the words "Ixtaxh-thtithil-meht" for "Exact Egg-Cracker", according to the Translation Dictionary.^[22][23][24] As with the ES series in general, older lore descriptions are tossed out in favour of new ones, and as all versions of the Annotated Anuad in published copies of the games omit this translation,^[25][26] and as no other lore supports it, it has been deemed an unreliable translation.^[1] The Translation Dictionary references the document Interview with Three Booksellers as a source, but, curiously enough, the article does not contain the words "Ixtaxh-thtithil-meht", nor, indeed, any reference to the Argonians at all.^[27]

The Argonian Compendium also provides a reference to The Madness of Pelagius, in which a simple statement regarding the Argonian tongue can be found.

"It was said that when the Argonian ambassador from Blackrose came to court, Pelagius insisted on speaking in all grunts and squeaks, as that was the Argonian's natural language."^[28]

– Tsathenes, The Madness of Pelagius

The Argonian Compendium notes that while it is generally difficult to accord credit to the source itself, a cautious observer may take from the work an indication that the "Argonian language might be phonetically very different from human and elven languages".^[1]

[edit] Slavery

Unfortunately for the Argonians, the very traits that enabled them to survive so well in the swamps of their homelands also made them ideal slaves for hard labour in regions of the Empire that would prove uninhabitable to the other races in Morrowind. They were commonly enslaved along with the Khajiit in Morrowind; although slavery itself is illegal in the Empire, Morrowind as part of the conditions of surrender to the Empire, was able to use a different set of laws. Morrowind's "On Morrowind" describes Morrowind's self-determination as part of the rules surrounding its integration into the commonwealth. In the peace treaty between Tiber Septim and Vivec that brought Morrowind into the Empire, a key clause insisted that Morrowind retain all her natural "rights of faith and self-government."^[29] Another Morrowind-era book describes the House Dres, one of the five major powers in Morrowind, as "an agrarian agricultural society" which relies "completely on slave labor for their economic viability".^[30] House Telvanni, too, retains a specific interest in the flows of the slave trade, although on a more personal level than the grand agricultural scale of the Dres.^[30] In Morrowind, the southern farmlands of Vvardenfell are peppered with large slave plantations worked by Khajiit and Argonian slaves, run by representatives of House Dres.^[30][31]

The House holds much territory on the southern border of Morrowind, bordering Black Marsh, allowing easy access to their source.^[32][33][31] It is perhaps no surprise, then, that as late in the series as Morrowind, decades after the ban on the slave trade, one could find sources attesting to its prevalence. "For ages the Dunmer have raided Black Marsh for slaves; though the Empire has made this illegal, the practice persists, and Dunmer and Argonians have a long-standing and bitter hatred for one another."^[8] The Redguard-era Pocket Guide to The Empire provides a few important notes on the Dres slave trade, and is the principal source for the sections of those essays pertaining to the House which describe the nature of its business in the trade.^[33][31] informing the reader that the trade numbers in the "thousands"; that the majority of slaves traded consist of Argonians, with lesser numbers of Khajiit and Imperials alongside; and, finally, that the great centre of the trade is the Dres capital Tear, through which most slaves are hurried into various "infamous" slave-pens, and thence onwards into the plantations which surround the city.^[32]

Argonians within Black Marsh have been singled out as co-conspirators as well. In the Oblivion-era The Argonian Account, Ted Peterson's novella of Waughin Jarth's account of Decumus Scotti's ventures in Black Marsh, a follow up on Morrowind's Dance In Fire, the Archeins of Gideon, a southwesterly inland town along the border with the Blankenmarch region of Cyrodiil, are singled out as "assimilated, slaver kleptocrats" by one native "lemon-colored Agaceph". Also shared, and affirmed by the book's principal character, is a rumor that Argonian mothers might sell their children into slavery.^[34]

In Oblivion's Pocket Guide to the Empire (3rd Edition), it was revealed that sometime after the events of Morrowind, the Nerevarine and Vivec disappear from Morrowind, leaving King Helseth the sole power in the region. Helseth, representing his own house of Hlaalu, forms an alliance with House Dres. Subsequently, he renounces the slave trade, setting the remaining Houses of Indoril and Redoran against him in a bloody civil war.^[35] Helseth emerges from the war battered, but without the loss of his essential powers, leaving the slave trade generally destroyed, slavery without a foothold in all of Tamriel, and the Argonian race at last liberated from that scourge on her people.^[36]

[edit] Culture

Argonians were characterized by game developer Michael Kirkbride in a post on The Elder Scrolls Official Forums alongside the Khajiit as the Other.^[37] Argonians are often given descriptors telling of their alien nature. The Daggerfall manual describes Argonians as "strange",^[38] the Morrowind website describes Argonians as "expressionless," "reserved" peoples, "slow to trust and hard to know."^[2] While keeping their general character as an 'alien' race, Argonians have been given certain new personality traits during the development of the series, specifically, an added emphasis on Argonian clan loyalty and a strong personal sense of kin. Dreekius, the sole Argonian in Redguard, an Argonian so particularly acclimatized to the customs of Hammerfell that he speaks without a hiss, describes his role outside Black Marsh in terms of his clan. "'How ... does an Argonian manage to leave his tribe to wander Tamriel?' 'You refer to me? I do not wander, Redguard; this is a settled study for me, from which I'll add to the wealth of wisdoms when I return to my clan.'" Dreekius further mentions his respect for "clannish drives," "which any Argonian might admire, being used ... to honor the clan's interests above our own private affairs."^[39] Morrowind's in-game dialogue describes Argonians as "cautious and secretive" because of their history of "persecution and enslavement" by other races.^[40] Dreekius speaks of Black Marsh in anticipation of trials to come. "'How have the denizens of Black Marsh resisted the Empire so long?' 'A thousand miles of swamp, bog and stink aren't attractive to most humans, and terror of the Knahaten Flu still holds most at bay. But our days of testing will come.'"^[39]

Argonians are known to have deep connections with the Hist, calling themselves "people of the root,"^[40] and licking the leaking sap of their trunks in religious rites. The Argonian Travelling-New-Woman leaves an intriguing story regarding her Naming Ceremony and its involvement with the Hist.

"My parents told me not to lick the Hist tree until my Naming Day, so I did. My parents caught me and a boy from my nest in a soft-leaf patch right before the naming ceremony. I feared I'd get more of a licking from my parents than I gave the tree... So I ran as fast as I could through the swamp and into the rest of the kids waiting for their naming ceremony. Everyone had a good laugh and the name stuck."^[1]

– Travelling-New-Woman, Morrowind Dialogue

The Argonian Compendium states this to be one of the most famous pieces of Morrowind era Argonian lore, and begins furiously interpreting the passage, declaring in favour of the rite as a sexual initiation into adulthood, the usage of nests, and various other minor things.^[1] Marobar Sul's Ancient Tales of the Dwemer also contains a story relating the importance of the Hist, taken from the Argonian slaves of southern Morrowind.

The tale concerns a settlement of Argonians wiped out by "Dwemeri"^[A] imperialism. Dwemer come to an isolated Argonian settlement, and begin to fell the local trees without much ado. The Argonians remain unfazed. "[We] allowed them to use the plants as they needed them, provided they never touched the Hist, which are sacred to us and to the land...For many years, we lived peaceably. No one wanted for anything." The Dwemer showed signs of dissatisfaction with their arrangement, as it became clear that the sap of the Hist could be made into resilient armour called resin. The Dwemer sent out a woodsman named Juhnin to fell the Hist for profit. "Of course, we Argonians cried out against it. It was our home, and the Hist, once gone, would never return. The merchants reconsidered, but Juhnin took it on his own to break our spirit. He proved one terrible, bloody day that his prodigious skill with the axe could be used against people as well as trees. Any Argonian who stood in his way was hewn asunder, children as well. The Dwemer people of Lorikh closed their doors and their ears to the cries of murder...It is difficult to explain...But the deaths of our living ones was not nearly as horrible to us as the death of our trees. You must understand that to my people, the Hist are where we come from and where we are going. To destroy our bodies is nothing; to destroy our trees is to annihilate us utterly. When Juhnin then turned his axe on the Hist, he killed the land. The water disappeared, the animals died, and all the other life that the trees nourished crumbled and dried to dust." The story proper begins some time later as the Dwemer daughter of Juhnin speaks to an old Argonian woman working in the now destroyed region, and begins to relate the tale. The child learns that all of the Argonians are soon to die from the Hist's absence, and begins to tear up. The Argonian woman gives the child a small seed, saying 'We Argonians have an expression...That the best soil for a seed is found in your heart." The child leaves to plant it in front of her house. The following day, Juhnin comes across a giant Hist tree at his doorstep, and draws his axe to fell it. Successive blows make no change to the tree, and the tree regenerates to match the wood chopped off. Some time passes, and a local notices Juhnin's emaciated body lying on the ground, axe in hands, with no tree in sight. "Shortly thereafter, small desert flowers began pushing through the dry dirt in the town. Trees and plants newly sown began to live tolerably well, if not luxuriantly. The Hist did not return, but Kamdida and the people of Lorikh noticed that at a certain time around twilight, long, wide shadows of great, bygone trees would fill the streets and hills."^[41]

Various Argonian characters have had some small involvement in the politics of the Empire since Black Marsh was brought within its borders. The Daggerfall-era Armorers' Challenge describes one such occasion. In 3E153, following a massacre of Imperial troops in the Black Marsh village of Armanias, Dunmer Empress Katariah made the decision to hire an Argonian freedman, Hazadir, to craft more suitable armor for troops stationed in the region. As the Duke Minglumire of Vengheto challenged her decision, she decided to host a competition between an armorer of his choosing and her Hazadir. Each would equip a champion that would then face an Imperial fighter equipped with Argonian weapons. Hazadir easily won the competition, choosing to use light armor against the Minglumire's ebony, ebony easily bested by Argonian weapons.^[42] The move impressed the Elder Council, contributing to Katariah's reputation as one of the most glorious leaders of the Cyrodiilic Empire.^[43][35] In 3E399 an Argonian councilman, Thoricles Romus, was thought to be the person to hire the assassin who ended Empress Morihatha's life. Thoricles, said to have been angered by Moriatha's refusal to send troops to Black Marsh, was summarily tried and executed.^[44]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

Template:TES-races

AEDRA

The Aedra are a race of divine creatures from The Elder Scrolls universe. The singular term for one of these beings is an "Aedroth". The Aedra are the product of the blood of both Padomay and his ancient antithesis, Anu.[1] In Altmeri (High-Elven), Aedra means "Ancestors", because they were believed by the Elves to be the ancestors of the Mer, and the creators of the world of Nirn.

In the Elder Scrolls creation myth, it is told that the Aedra were to have given their power to create the world; thus weakening them and allowing them to die. More specifically it is primarily held to be the doing of a being known as Lorkhan, "The Missing God". Unlike the Daedra, who represent change, the Aedra are said to represent continuity and stasis, and are more like abstract concepts than persons in the mortal sense of the word. This is what caused them to die when giving their essence to create the world. The Aedra all inhabit the realm of Aetherius, which is believed to be the source of all magicka.

Creation accounts vary greatly, especially between men and Elves, due to the disparity between the views of these two species on the Aedra. Men call the Aedra "gods", and believe them to be powerful spirits of creation. They say it was an act of mercy that the gods created the mortal world, allowing mortal creatures to exist and experience full and enriching lives. As such, men view the creation of the mortal world as an enlightened act of divine altruism. Consequently the Aedroth Lorkhan is viewed by early man as a hero, whereas he is almost always an enemy to the Aldmer.

Conversely to humans, the Elves believe that they are in fact descended from the Aedra. The difference between these two belief systems likely originated simply enough, with a differing interpretation of the word "conception" by elven and human scholars. The breach is wide, though, as the difference has led to seemingly irreconcilable grievances between the two cultures. Elves, with the exception of the Dunmer, see the creation of the world not as an act of mercy or compassion, but as a condemnation. In their cosmologies, Lorkhan (The Missing God) convinced or contrived the Aedra to bring about the creation of the mortal plane. The act of this creation meant the transformation from what once was, and this transformation was said to have injured the Aedra, due to their nature as beings of continuity and infinitude. Ergo, Elves see the creation of the mortal plane as the Aedra being stricken blind by Lorkhan's trickery. Allegedly, it was then, in this state of misguidance, that the Aedra, giving of their own divine and perfect natures, were to have created the mundane and imperfect world. To the Elves, the physical world is called the Ehlnofey, meaning, "Earth-bones", as it is essentially thought to be the dead husks of the Aedra which provide the foundation for physical existence. These beliefs have also lead to a great deal of supremacy, as Elves view themselves as being the purest and most untainted direct descendants of the Aedra, and as such, the only beings in physical existence with the divine power to transcend death and the material, mortal plane.

In either case, both men and Elves worship the Aedra equally, though both species are generally convinced of the inherent wrong-headedness of the opposing theology. Men tend to believe that Elves are far too high-minded in their spirituality, viewing life through a lens of cynicism and disdain; while Elves typically believe that men are far too spiritually mundane, accepting all facets of existence as divinely inspired and enriching, even when things tend to be unappealing and bleak.

Some mortals, usually those unhappy with life or those whose views on philosophy tend to be somewhat more nihilistic, turn to worship of the Daedra, alien spirits of chaos and change, immortal unlike the gods and keen to play an active role in the affairs of mortals. Often, Daedra worshippers follow their creed simply due to the perceived ineffectual nature of the Aedra who unlike the Daedra can no longer physically manifest themselves in the mortal plane as they did during the 'Dawn Era' when the Aedra led armies of elves against Lorkhan and his human followers. There is a limited number of people who question whether the Aedra exist at all, attributing the ancient actions and interventions of the Aedra to mythology or even the actions of the Daedra.

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DAEDRA

Daedra (pronounced ['deɪ.drə], more uncommonly ['di.drə], sing. Daedroth) are divine creatures from fictional The Elder Scrolls universe. In the Elder Scrolls video game series, they inhabit the plane of Oblivion (a dimension of Nirn), but are also well-known to the inhabitants of Tamriel, where they are feared and hated by some and worshiped as gods by others. Daedra are very physically diverse, ranging in form from humanoid, to distinctly beastlike, and even to having their souls bound in weapons or armor. Although they can be killed by the player, they are considered immortal, as their soul is inevitably resurrected back in Oblivion in the event that their physical body is destroyed. thumb|350px|right| A gate to the Daedric realm of Mehrunes Dagon

[edit] Introduction

According to lore from the fictional Elder Scrolls universe, the term "Daedra" is of Altmeric (High Elven) origin, its literal translation being "not our ancestors" as opposed to Aedra - "[our] ancestors". Although the singular form of the word is technically daedroth, it has become common practice to refer to these beings in both the singular and plural simply as daedra. Daedra are frequently thought to be demonic in form. This is untrue however, with most Daedric Princes and most of the creatures being non-demonic. Daedra do wield tremendous destructive power, however, and are frequently associated with death, ruin, and disarray.

In the video game series, a Daedroth's physical form can be destroyed, but they cannot be truly killed; the soul or animus of a slain Daedroth returns to the void of Oblivion until it is able to return to physical form. The torturous period in the void can last centuries, and is the closest sensation to death that a Daedroth can experience.

In the fictional Elder Scrolls universe, Daedra are not easily defined within the ordinary bounds of good or evil, however due to the destructive acts of some Daedric princes they have come to be regarded by most as evil beings. Amongst the majority of Tamriel's populace, the Daedra are seen as naturally evil, as many concepts of evil are directly relative to the mortal world (i.e. destruction is evil, and chaos is evil), though the Daedra are simply different in and of themselves, being entities of change. As such, their evilness is not borne out of malice, but out of genuinely conflicting natures (consider alien beings attempting to terraform the earth by burning off its atmosphere and raising the temperature thousands of degrees). Similarly, humans who evince Daedric behavior are commonly thought evil, as that sort of behavior often controverts the natural order.

An interesting fact that probably explains Mehrunes Dagon's ambitions to conquer Tamriel (aside from the fact that ambition itself is part of his sphere of government), is that, according to lore in the fictional universe, Daedra spirits never really die. Simply put, Dagon cannot perform the acts that are his namesake (The Prince of Destruction). No matter how much the Lord of Destruction destroys Oblivion, it always comes back, as described in "Spirits of the Daedra". But in Tamriel, if someone dies, they stay dead and rarely do they ever "come back." This is distinctly a problem for the main characters within the game.

[edit] Daedric forms, appearances and character

In the fictional game series, Daedra appear in many different forms. The most important are the Daedric Princes, powerful spirits. There are also "lesser Daedra" beings known to be in league with these greater powers. Whether all of these constitute actual Daedra or if some are simply equivalents of the mortal realm's tame animals is as yet unstated in the game series.

In the fictional series, Daedra generally seem to view mortals as little more than minor amusements, giving some applause whenever a mortal being exceeds certain expectations. They do however take interest in their worshippers, sometimes considering them foolish, but with some Daedra thinking of them as valued servants. The Daedra see themselves as a superior form of life and feel generally no need for any alliance or truce with any of the mortal races of Tamriel. Some Daedra may be summoned however. There is a popular notion that the summoned Daedra will then give the summoner a quest or task to fulfill and that the quest's completion will see its participant richly rewarded. Mostly these tasks are merely for the entertainment of the Daedra. This is not always so, as Morian Zenas, author of On Oblivion, claims that he was able to successfully summon and speak with Daedra without ever being asked to complete a task or a quest.

[edit] Daedric princes

[[Image:The Elder Scrolls IV-Shivering Isles-gate.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A gate to Sheogoraths' plane of Oblivion, located in the Niben Bay of Cyrodiil, as featured in the series's fourth installment.]]

Main article: Daedric Princes

In the fictional Elder Scrolls series, Daedric Princes (not to be mistaken for daedra lords or powerful but ordinary enemies) are the most powerful of the Daedra, and thus most commonly worshipped as gods. Each has a particular sphere, which it is said to govern. Although Daedric Princes may assume the form of a female or male, they have no inherent gender, and are all referred to as princes. In all, there are sixteen princes. Each Daedric Prince has one plane of Oblivion, which total sixteen in all. The most commonly known princes are Azura and Mehrunes Dagon, while Hircine made an appearance in Bloodmoon, the expansion set for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and Sheogorath was prominent in Shivering Isles, the expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The Daedric Princes consist of Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora, Hircine, Sheogorath,Jyggalag, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Mephala, Meridia, Molag Bal, Namira,Nocturnal, Peryite, Sanguine and Vaermina.

[edit] Lesser Daedra

In the video game series, there are many types of lesser Daedra, creatures believed to be created by the Princes as warriors, servants, playthings and worshippers. It should be noted that the descriptions of appearances given here are not necessarily always accurate, as to many Daedra appearance is a matter of choice. Belonging to a particular grouping is however said to shape their bodies and minds, and thus common traits are established.

[edit] Humanoids

[[Image:The Elder Scrolls IV - Shivering Isles promotional screenshot.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Promotional screenshot depicting a Golden Saint in the Shivering Isles.]]According to the fictional universe, many Daedra of greater mental capacity prefer a humanoid shape and appearance. The Daedric Princes and their servants are usually among them. Daedra who usually appear in humanoid form are:

• Dremora are generally servants of Mehrunes Dagon. Featured in Battlespire, Morrowind, and Oblivion.
• Golden Saints appear as golden-skinned Elves in golden armor, and serve Sheogorath. Featured in Morrowind and Shivering Isles.
• Dark Seducers come in several varieties, and generally have a mercenary nature. They often serve Mehrunes Dagon, and can more recently be seen to serve Sheogorath in Shivering Isles. Featured in Battlespire, Daggerfall, and Shivering Isles.
• Knights of Order serve Jyggalag; they are humanoid crystallite creatures that use swords and are deadly enemies, and they have crystal hearts which can be used to activate many Order objects. Featured in Shivering Isles.
• Aurorans generally serve the Daedric prince Meridia; they appear as humanoids clad in Ayleid battle armor. They have the same hearts as the Dremora, unlike the Knights of Order hearts.
• Xivilai semi-intelligent creatures who serve Mehrunes Dagon and are seen in the planes of Oblivion. Xivilai often appear as blue - skinned humans. One is featured in Battlespire (unkillable) and they are a common creature in Oblivion.

thumb|right|250px|A Dark Seducer in the Shivering Isles.

[edit] Reptilians

In the video game series, Daedra have amongst their ranks some reptilian creatures, most of which serve Mehrunes Dagon or Molag Bal. The Daedroth is somewhat humanoid in its appearance, it walks on two legs and possesses two arms, each with deadly claws in place of hands. Its skin is almost entirely scaled and its head is similar to that of a large crocodile's. The teeth of the Daedroth can also be used in potions, and are worth a fair amount to merchants. These Daedra breathe fire, and are capable of inflicting much damage in combat. Another reptilian Daedra is the Clannfear, perhaps one of the smaller lizards in the Daedra realm, Clannfear resemble a cross between a Triceratops and a Velociraptor - representing the upper & lower body respectively, however it is smaller than the former, yet bigger than the latter. Clannfear have small arms, each with extremely sharp claws that it uses to attack in combat. Their skin is heavily scaled, with small spikes cresting their face and forehead. If slain, a Clannfear's claws can be sold for a fair price in stores. There is also a weaker version of the Clannfear; Clannfear Runts. They are visibly smaller, with a much lower attack strength than their larger brethren. Even though Clannfear are smaller, they can be more dangerous than Daedroth due to the innate ability to reflect damage, a high defence, and very quick attacks.

• Clannfear are featured in Battlespire, Morrowind, and Oblivion.
• Daedroth are featured in Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion.

[edit] Atronach

According to the fictional series, Atronach are Daedra attached to one particular magical element. There are several varieties of atronach, and they vary greatly in terms of strength and physical appearance. All atronach are humanoid in appearance. Flame atronach are roughly human in size, appear female, and are colored black, red and orange (in Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind they were male). Flame atronach use fire magic to attack their foes. Frost Atronach are larger in build; in The Elder Scrolls IV they dwarf humans at around 8 feet in height - their bodies are light blue in hue, they are jaggedly shaped as if assembled from huge blocks of ice. They reflect sunlight very heavily. This in itself can be a deterrent during daylight hours, as a combatant dazzled by reflecting light can have difficulty fighting in combat. Storm Atronach appear to be nothing more than collections of rocks, loosely held together in a humanoid shape by surging arcs of electricity. Their tactics consist of hurling lightning bolts at their foes and crushing them with their rocky bodies when in close combat. Slaying any of these Atronach will allow one to gather elemental salts off of the atronach's remains, which can be used in alchemical mixtures or can be sold. Atronach have no strong connection to any Prince, serving one or another at will. Steel and Flesh Atronach are increasingly rare, and have not been seen on Tamriel since the events of the Warp in the West. However, in the Shivering Isles expansion to Oblivion, Flesh Atronach again make an appearance.

• Flame Atronach are featured in Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion.
• Frost Atronach are featured in Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion.
• Storm Atronach are featured in Morrowind, and Oblivion.
• Flesh Atronach are featured in Daggerfall and Shivering isles.

[edit] Others

• Winged Twilights are the only known Daedric creatures capable of flight, they bear some resemblance to Harpies, their skin is a blue color with their skulls being about the same size as a human's, and they also possess large tails. They share features with human females, feminine facial features and hair in a ponytail. They are servants of Azura. Featured in Morrowind.

• Spider Daedra appear as a kind of spider-centaur, a large spider with a human torso in place of a head. They have the ability to summon Spiderlings and use Shock magic. They are associated with Mephala, and are so unruly and irrational that not even Mephala's worshippers will often summon them, for fear that they will disobey their orders. Featured in Battlespire, Oblivion.

• Ogrim are enormous Daedra with very little intellect, but which are chiefly sent into the mortal world to menace living things for the amusement of Daedra Princes. Ogrim are associated with Malacath. Featured in Morrowind.

• Hungers are powerful and violent warriors with some magic ability, associated with Sheogorath in the Shivering Isles and Boethiah in Morrowind. Featured in Morrowind, Shivering Isles.

• Scamps are small goblin-like creatures, skittish in nature. They are often associated with Mehrunes Dagon. Featured in Battlespire, Morrowind, Oblivion.

• Vermai appear similar to scamps, but are fairly hardier. Featured in Battlespire, Redguard.

• Herne and Morphoid Daedra resemble horned scamps, associated with Mehrunes Dagon and Hircine. Featured in Battlespire.

[edit] Daedric alphabet

The Daedric alphabet is a typeface of symbols that replace the English alphabet used in The Elder Scrolls video game series. It is incorrect to call Daedric a language, as it is simply an alternate alphabet for the English language.

[edit] History and Origins

Fictionally, the Daedric alphabet is the written form used by the Daedra and Dunmer of Tamriel. The language is strongly affiliated with magicka (Daedric letters are often referred to as sigils), with various scrolls and tomes (Such as the Mysterium Xarxes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) written in the Daedric alphabet. The exact source of the alphabet is unknown, it is believed to be the creation of the Daedra themselves, then passed down to the mortal realm.

In actuality, the Daedric alphabet is the creation of Bethesda Softworks, a video game studio located in Rockville, Maryland with a strong emphasis on Role Playing Games. In fact, the PC versions of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion shipped with a Daedric True Type Font.

[edit] Character Set

A translation of Daedric Characters.

The Daedra use their own calligraphy, but the underlying language is closely similar to the Modern Cyrodiilic language. The following is the best known Daedric character set.

Some letters, such as Doht, Hekhem, and Jeb, have alternate forms. This is due to inconsistencies of these letters throughout the video game series. A possible fictional explanation is cultural differences between the provinces of Morrowind and Cyrodiil, the two areas of Tamriel Daedric writings are seen most. The naming convention of the Daedric lettering strongly resembles that of the real-world Phoenician alphabet.

[edit] Xayah and Yahkem

The Daedric letters Xayah (X) and Yahkem (Y) are usually omitted from the Daedric alphabet in scrolls and books found in the games. However, the letter Yahkem makes an appearance in sign and banners in Morrowind, such as the sign outside of Tel Fyr. The letter Xayah has yet to be seen in any Elder Scrolls game. Therefore, its aesthetics are purely speculation at this point and it is unknown why these letters are omitted from the alphabet in the first place.

[edit] Writing Customs

In Morrowind, a region of the fictional series, the Dunmer peoples often write words in a cluster form, instead of the standard left to right.

It should be noted that in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, none of the Daedric writings seen in the game are written in cluster form. It would seem that the word cluster is a Dunmeri custom, thus being found prominently throughout Morrowind.

[edit] Daedra worship

In the fictional universe, Daedra are widely worshipped in the realms of Tamriel with many shrines located throughout the Empire. Those who worship Daedra see them as gods, their conceptions of their respective Daedric gods varying widely. Mainstream religious authorities such as the Church of the Nine Divines disapprove of the practice. Thus, worshippers are often driven away from various localities in processes resemblant of witchhunts, though during the process many participants are often surprised at the sane, down to earth nature many of the Daedric worshippers (save Mehrunes Dagon's and Sheogorath's) possess, which contrasts greatly with the common perception of blood-drinking baby-eaters reminiscent of real-world notions of Satanic Panic. Historically, orcs and dark elves were common Daedra worshipers, but that has changed recently; The Orcs who live in Orsinium mostly worship Trinimac, the former aedric incarnation of Malacath from before the Velothi exodus, while Imperial endeavors into Morrowind have won converts to the Church of the Nine Divines.

Towards the end of the Third Era Daedra worship became increasingly more prevalent across Tamriel, with several new shrines being established in Cyrodiil and beyond. The popularity of such worship has created some speculation and rumor amongst citizens of Cyrodiil, some expressing alarm and fear, others curiosity. It is possible for one curious of the practice of worship to visit several Daedra shrines in Cyrodiil (or any other province of Tamriel).

In the video game series, Daedra worshippers often relate that they felt "called" to worship the Daedra, and thus worship by choice. Most times a worshipper follows a Daedra that most closely parallels their own conscience. For example, a follower of Nocturnal, the Daedric Prince of night, might feel a kinship with the darkness, whereas a follower of Mehrunes Dagon may have a great hunger for power.

[edit] Conjuring Daedra

In the video game series, worshippers may bind other daedric servants to this plane through rituals and pacts. Such arrangements result in the daedric servant remaining on this plane indefinitely - or at least until their bodily manifestations on this plane are destroyed, precipitating their supernatural essences back to Oblivion. Whenever daedra are encountered at daedric ruins or in tombs, they are almost invariably long-term visitors to the mortal plane.

Most daedric servants can be summoned by sorcerers only for very brief periods, within relatively fragile frameworks of command and binding. Another way daedra are summoned is by pacts made, often the daedric artifacts are lesser daedra bound to our realm by such pacts.

[edit] Entering the realm of Oblivion

In the fictional Elder Scrolls universe, the worshippers of Daedra have also tried to use their conjuring skills to enter their master daedra's realms but this is extremely dangerous even for high level summoners and warlocks. In the fourth entry in the video game series, deep within the Cyrodillic wilderness worshippers of the Daedra Peryite tried to enter his realm of Oblivion only to have it backfire and almost trap them into an eternal purgatory. The worshippers had their souls trapped on Oblivion and their bodies bound to Nirn. This results in a quest given to the player by Peryite to retrieve their souls from Oblivion. The souls could be found wandering in an eternal void without thought spouting out philosophical quotes as they wandered Oblivion.

The only safe mode of travel for worshippers of Daedra and travelers otherwise to enter Oblivion is through the stable portal of an Oblivion gate. These portals were constantly seen at the end of the third age of Tamriel as the daedra prince Mehrunes Dagon and his followers planned an invasion of Tamriel. The portals ranged in size from small gates that would open in the wilderness, to the large Great Gates which allowed the daedra to attack two cities directly. The portals are held open by a Sigil Stone at the top of a large tower inside of the Oblivion world that they linked to. The stone works as an anchor for the gate between the two realms. If the Sigil Stone is taken, the portal collapses, and any beings not native to Oblivion are sent back to Tamriel. In the Shivering Isles expansion, a new gate is opened to Sheogorath's realm of the Shivering Isles. The gate differs in appearance from Mehrunes Dagon's and can remain open indefinitely as the gate poses no threat to Nirn's or Mundus' fabrics of space. A barrier had existed between Nirn and Oblivion, kept alive by the Dragonfires in the temple in the Imperial City. Part of a new emperor's coronation was to relight the fires, which are extinguished upon the death of the old emperor. When Emperor Uriel Septim VII died during the events of Oblivion, the Dragonfires were extinguished, allowing Mehrunes Dagon to open portals to Oblivion. The Dragonfires can only be lit by an heir to the throne wielding the Amulet of Kings (the Amulet was stolen by Mankar Camoran in his plot to keep the Dragonfires dim, and thus, the way to Nirn from Oblivion remained open).

In the video game series, there has been one known exception to the aforementioned rule. This was when the currently deceased heir to the Septim bloodline, Martin Septim, opened a portal to Camoran's Paradise (a small island in Mehrunes Dagon's plane of Oblivion dedicated to and controlled by Mankar Camoran) to get the Amulet of Kings. From accounts of the Blades, Martin spent days contemplating the Mysterium Xarxes, the only book to ever be written in Oblivion itself by Mehrunes Dagon in the deserts of suffering and despair. From this, Martin determined that the portal would require four items of almost unbelievable rarity: a Great Sigil Stone, a Great Welkynd Stone, the blood of a Daedra, and the blood of an Aedra. The Champion of Cyrodiil (the player) gathered these through perilous journeys to give to Martin. Martin then opened a portal to Camoran's Paradise where the Champion retrieved the Amulet of Kings from the powerful Daedric worshipper, Camoran himself.

[edit] References

• Darkest Darkness
• On Oblivion
• The Definitive Guide to Daedra
• UESP's Daedric Alphabet
• Illustrated version of Daedric alphabet

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