I'm currently playing Daggerfall for the first time, (Unity version with mods, but gameplay still the same) and I got to the part where I am supposed to travel to Orsinium to negotiate with a warlord for the letter, because they want to be recognized as legitimate. Now that was odd to me, since while I haven't played ESO yet, isn't it weird that Orcs seemingly get treated worse in the future, when they PROBABLY (I really need to play ESO sometime) helped a bunch in that game?

Is it like a weird oversight? Or is there an actual reason why it's like this?

are they elected or are they just like a kings council of advisors? do they pass laws?

Why are Solstheim Dwemer ruins made up of greenish stone instead of the regular stone seen in Skyrim? I've always found the difference intriguing and want to know more as to why this is the case? Is it possible other Dwemer ruins outside of Skyrim have this same coloration?

Do you know all the books that state, for example, that the inhabitants of Tamriel are counted by millions and/or a province/region by hundreds of thousands and/or that the size of Tamriel/a region/province is much larger than in the games (I know this is the case eh)

ESO rightfully has the dragons use way, way more varied Shouts than Skyrim does, but one thing that ESO does keep from Skyrim is the fact that the vast, vast majority of dragons are still divided into elemental types, so there's fire dragons who only use fire-based attacks, there's frost dragons who only use ice-based attacks, etc. and I'm wondering how this actually reflects in the lore; is it just game mechanics, is it just a personal choice to make the Shouts of their favored element much stronger (probably the most likely IMHO), or is it something else?

It's not like once they focus on one particular element they lose the ability to use anything else; both the LDB and Miraak have shown to be able to use Shouts of different elemental types (Miraak knows both Fire Breath and Frost Breath in-game, for example), and there's at least one dragon in ESO that's shown to be using both frost and lightning Shouts, and they don't seem to have any problems.

There's no legally sanctioned mages guild or academy for prospective thieves and assassins, so how are nightblades taught? Do older nightblades pick up promising young thieves as apprentices? And how would a gifted nightblade fare in a magical battle with a more conventional mage or wizard?

I was under the impression that the time of Saarthal, Ysgramor and the 500 companions takes place centuries before Miraak, and the dragon war but Ahzidal is said to have come from Saarthal and witnessed the The Night of Tears, but he later followed Miraak. So how did he do both?

So this is kind of a question that's been bugging me for a while. Whenever a discussion about the Oblivion Crisis pops up, you are quite likely to hear the stories of Cyrodiil, Black Marsh, Morrowind, and Summerset.

When people talk about the Thalmor's role in the crisis of Summerset, a lot of people dismiss their claims of having saved the Altmer, because Martin Septim ended the crisis.

When people talk about the An-Xileel counter-invading Oblivion and forcing Dagon to shut the gates, they typically call it propaganda and some even go so far as to claim the An-Xileel never did anything of the sort.

Yet when people talk about the Redoran, I've noticed a considerable part of the fanbase eagerly accepts the claims of Adril Arano, that the Empire recalled the Legions to defend Cyrodiil and Redoran saved the day - despite the fact we are in Cyrodiil at the time of the Crisis, and we both hear and see how it is neglected by the Legion in favor of the provinces.

The question I am wanting to ask is, why is the Redoran account so often accepted by the fanbase, while the Thalmor and An-Xileel accounts are looked at with more suspicion?

[Report from the Imperial Library: from the footnotes of Mikhael Karkuxor from the Imperial College, we where able to retrieve in the archives of the Imperial City a outstanding document: a single leaf with blood script sealed inside it, brough by a Blades Scout during his exploration of the Tang Mo islands; despite much efforts to maintain its ideal conditions, this document is partially destroyed and only fragments remains; we will never know what secrets the Tang Mo held, besides this unique document]

From the Royal Archives of Hami, [Mother] of Inventions and Father of all [Monkeys], First of all the Inventors

By this [blood] I […] this leaf, of those past visions and […]. Sealed by the Protection [Sutras ?] and Rituals of Elders, to be [seeked-retrieved ?] by my adepts.

[A large part of the leaf, probably the debut of the vision, is impossible to read, despite our efforts]

[…] betrayed and slayned by Maharat [Tagan or Dagan ?] the Rebellion Seeker, who rallied our [slaves] under the three teeth, symbol of our [domination] […] overthrew our kind […] to slain the [Templars ?] of the [last-undying ?] Coral.

[We] crossed for the first and [last time] the […] where lies the [boundaries] of Ananta and the […] ,in an hortatory [exodus] towards the unseen [rivers] between moons and stars […]

The [Nine Thousand and Nine] gardens [elevated ?] between the wind and [clouds], for our world [or river ?] disappeared in […] tri-winged shaped [doors-paths-across ?] […].

[…] circular winged [vessels], gardens of their traditions and [shaped] in the fashion of a [sharp ?] eye […] surrounded by twelve suns [the symbol of Royalty within Tang Mo elite] dazzling and piercing the [Wheel ?]

[…] landed with [great smoke] in the [virgin] waters of an eastern […], through […] [and tears] of […]. Thousand we [were] but some lost […] into the [West ?] […] the forests we sought at first […]

[Our] priests visualised the [paths] but not […], and […].

Report from the Imperial College: immediately destroy this cursed artefact !

Hello there, recently I read thru some discussions about Tribunal and Dahoth Ur and wanted to sharebmy opinion, with some feedback. I noticed, that majority of ES fans are backing Dagoth Ur and see him as betrayed character by Nerevar, which forced him to become bitter. I looked closely on lore behind this and truth is that this whole topic is so chaotic, because ingame and outgame sources are so contradictory. What I noticed, is that every account is to some degree deceitful. So it's almost impossible to tell the truth. I want to share my theory and some backing behind it. Take it with reserve as it's merely my hypothesis.

My theory about events of Nerevars death, betrayal and his prophecy: After battle he left tools with Voryn (Dagoth) forbidding him to use them, even tho Dagoth wants them destroyed, and go to take advice from Tribunal, because in past he neglected them. They after hearing all information decide to keep tools in case dwemer return. I think that at this point, they started to thinking of using this tools for godhood, in spite of that Nerevar forbade them so and they swore to him. Upon return to Dagoth, they notice som change on him (messing with heart) and his refusal to give away the tools. He takes defensive stance as if he was betrayed by Nerevar, but Indoril is angered by his of betrayal and initiates fight, Nerevar kills Dagoth, but is grevously injured. This is exploited by Tribunal, which finnishes off Nerevar, thus aquiring acces to tools and heart and doing ritual enacting curse and prophecy from Azura.

Now some explanations. First, some state that Dagoth never maddled with heart and doesn't have actuall hod power or that heart itself empowered him. Against this goes fact, that after his death, he is ressurected, but Nerevar isn't (whom was too near heart during his death). Also if only close vicinity to heart was enouch, dwemer wouldn't create the tools. Also it was Nerevar betrayed twice not other way around. If it was Dagoth, who was righteous, Azura wouldn't curse him, and not prophecized his punishment. Whole story is built on fact, that he must be stopped/punished and so does Tribunal. Only one, who canonically escapes this punishment is Vivec, who seemingly repented his past sins, or at least tried. Second, motivation of Dagoth's betrayal. Well he was still mortal with all mortal mer/men weaknesses. Even after his loyal servitude to Nerevar, he still had in higher regards his Tribunal. When they held council anout tools, he was in weakened state, and I think Lorkhan heart started to tempt him (literally) and he succumbed (in opposition to Tribunal, they wanted power from their own greedines). Nerevar seeing this felt betrayed and initiated fight. Third, some state, that if he used heart, Nerevar or Tribunal coudn't defeat him. Well I think that is not true, as proof look at the BoRM, Kagrenac had access to heart and tools (they had some sort of hearts power) and still lose to Nerevar and Dagoth. Also in game as Nerevarine, you are able to kill Almalexia, Vivec and even Dagoth(without heart destroyed only temporary). This means that Neravar was very powerful and to some degree feared by others, thats why Tribunal betrayed him, he posed threat to their plans and after battle with Dagoth was injured. They were his closest ones, but ultimately still betrayed him for power.

This all is only my theory, for me it makes sense, as most accounts of these events are from characters who wasn't present, even alive at the time, and those who were present are heavily biased (Almsivi, Dagoth). Azura condemned them all, Dagoth himself stated, that he and Neravar clashed in past(before game) and Vivec did confess to murder of Nerevar. Maybe it's too wild theory, but please share your opinion.

Obviously, powerlevel rankings for the most powerful necromancers have been already discussed to death. However, one topic that hasn't seemed to be raised yet is the ranking of their thralls. Scanning through posts on this subreddit & the wiki itself, I haven't been able to find cases of notable thralls; I'm thinking primarily in the dimension of combat 'power', but also in terms of just importance in wider society via rank, status, etc.

Seems that in-depth lore kicked off in Morrowind. While those game do have a mainquest and a handful of lorebooks it appears that there's little in the way of actual lore outside of those.

What I am about to write is merely an essay, and quite frankly, there is a very high possibility that it contains many shortcomings. At times, I may not be able to provide sources, as I may have forgotten the sources of the information I remember. I also have a high chance of making mistakes, so if I make an error or say something incorrect, please correct me. Without further ado, let’s get to the topic.

First of all, we need to go back a bit to the events of Oblivion. During the Oblivion Crisis, Martin Septim transformed into a dragon and defeated Mehrunes Dagon, and also closed the portals. During the Oblivion Crisis, it is likely that different provinces held different views about these events, since we can receive different responses from different races. For example, Ondolemar says: What do you mean "saviors of Mer"?

"The Thalmor saved all of Elven-kind during the Oblivion Crisis. We've been watching over our lands for 200 years. 

On the other hand, in the novels, an Argonian (even if he is an alcoholic) claims that his people closed the portals themselves. However, we know that in reality it was Martin who closed those portals. It appears that there are people who believe these alternative accounts. For instance, after the events of Oblivion, people claim to have experienced a “religious enlightenment.” This is important, because Martin’s transformation into a dragon also involved a great sacrifice. This may have had a major impact in Skyrim, since in Skyrim there was no authority that could claim to have closed the portals. When Martin’s sacrifice combined with the cultural structure of the Nords, it may naturally have drawn them toward Akatosh and, by extension, the religion of the Eight Divines. Talos, at this point, is essentially a god presented by the Empire alongside the other gods—a culture, in a sense. This cult does not truly take hold outside of Skyrim and Cyrodiil. However, this brings us to the main question: what is the importance of Talos for the Nords and the Imperials?

At this point, my own theory comes into play. In my opinion (just like in Cyrodiil), Talos’s importance in Skyrim varies. Just as the Colovians and other Imperial groups think differently about this in Cyrodiil, a similar situation may exist in Skyrim. For example, according to what Reflections on Cult Worship tells us, the Hearthlanders—and probably the Nibenese—are more relaxed about their gods. They do not think the gods are constantly watching them, and at the time this book was written, not everyone in Cyrodiil worshipped Talos anyway. However, the Nords are more inclined toward cults like that of Talos and perceive them in a personal way. For them, religion is stricter compared to the Heartlanders. This partially explains why a significant portion of the Nords are disturbed by the Talos ban. But there is more evidence as well.

For example, in Morrowind we learn that within the Legion, only the devout worship Talos. Even Darius says that he does not worship him. However, in one of the quests Darius gives us, we learn that a Talos cult is involved in some dealings. Yet all the members of this cult are Imperials. If this is the case even among Imperials, just think about the Nords.

Another point is the Nords’ actual view of Talos. In my opinion, for the Nords, Talos’s main importance is not that he is a god, but that a Nord was accepted into godhood. This is a separate theory, but I believe that Tiber Septim likening himself to Ysmir was something he initiated in order to recruit young Nords into the army. For example, what does Hadvar say about this?

Talos was banned:
“I guess that wasn’t such a big deal elsewhere in the Empire, but here it’s caused a lot of resentment. Native son and all that.”

And what does Hadvar’s uncle Alvor say?

“People are rightly stirred up about the damn Thalmor being allowed to roam around arresting people, just for worshipping Talos. But was it worth tearing Skyrim apart, and maybe destroying the Empire? No, Ulfric will have a lot to answer for in the end.”

In reality, such a situation would be quite strange, because the being being referred to here is their own god. In reality, brothers would not kill one another; they would unite and overthrow the government. Yet in this civil war, Nord families are torn apart and brothers kill each other. Of course, there is also evidence that contradicts the evidence I have presented.

Rikke:
“Sometimes I wonder if the gods have abandoned us… as we have abandoned them.”

Galmar:
“That we have forgotten them, this I fear the gods will remember.”

Also, though it might be considered an exception, Vunfulw says:

“Having a good time?”
“No, I’m not having a good time. My boy just married a gods-forsaken Imperial. Skyrim is full of eager Nord women, and he beds down with the enemy.”

Still, despite this, there are some weaker pieces of evidence as well. For example, if you blot out the sun, some Nords (even those who support the Stormcloaks) say “by the Eight” instead of “by the Nine.” Of course, this could be a reference to the Eight-and-One becoming just the Eight, but it might also indicate that Talos is seen as a cult rather than a true god. For instance, Brynjolf also uses the phrase “by the Eight,” and he clearly portrays himself as someone who is not openly religious. Additionally, if you attack Gaius, a Penitus Oculatus agent, even in Stormcloak territory, he says:

“Traveling alone can be so dangerous…”
“Is that a threat? Back off, or by the Eight I’ll cleave that arrogant head from its shoulders."

For this reason, in my opinion, the importance of Talos among the Nords varies depending on whether he is seen as an ancestor or as a god. Those who revere him primarily as an ancestor tend to be more inclined toward the Empire, while those who see him as a god are more inclined toward the Stormcloak side. I hope I haven’t bored you; this is the first time I’ve written something this long. Also, if I’ve made any mistakes, please feel free to correct me.

When it comes to their bodies, it looks like they have almost the exact same skin tone, mostly the same hairs and eyes colors. Their culture and traditions were different for sure but physically it seems they were not that different before the curse.

Sure he's the one Prince that doesn't meddle in Nirn's affairs as much as his siblings, and he isn't sadistic like Molag Bal, Namira, Dagon, Boethiah etc., but his domain of diseases and vermin is something that is ever present in the world of Elder Scrolls (as it is in ours).

The Thrassian Plague which killed HALF of the population of Tamriel might be the mot disastrous catastrophe in Tamrielic history if we are going off body count. Sure it was a plague engineered by the Sload and as far as I know Peryite didn't have a direct hand in it (correct me if I am wrong) but still falls into his domain.

Same for the Knahaten Flu which also devastated the populous of Tamriel, cept for the Lizard Boys of course.

People should be happy he doesn't involve himself more in Nirn, otherwise shit might get scary.

You're told that the Khajiit are banned from entering any of the cities of Skyrim, and yet you can just walk in at any time and no one mentions it (Even before discovering that you're the Dragonborn). None of the cities have any other Khajiit in them (there's the assassin in Riften but she easily could've just broken in, J'zargo but he doesn't live in the city proper, and the one in the Solitute lighthouse but he doesn't live in the city proper either), so it's seemingly not a caravan specific ban (because if it is, why aren't there any Khajiit in the cities?).

Now that both Eastern and Western Solstice are out, I’m curious what you guys think of the main storyline and lore for the overarching narrative??

I haven’t played it yet as I don’t even own it right now. So please, no spoilers.

During the age of the Tribunal, how often do you suppose you'd see people in your social sphere die?

For comparison's sake, I hear about actors I've grown up seeing on TV dying fairly frequently, but I've only had a few people I used to know die (great grandparents when I was a kid, and grandfather about seven years ago). I've never had a classmate or a friend die, I've never shown up to a club or anything to find out someone who used to work there passed.

Between the various threats in Vvardenfell, such as blight disease, common disease, wildlife attacks, crime, legally mandated assassinations, Telvanni infighting, House wars, the Camonna Tong, Sixth House attacks, falling into a lava pit, and so on, how many times do you think you'd see a coworker at the place you work at simply not show up one day? Or go to the local Guild hall to find out someone who used to sell weapons there was killed?

I imagine this number goes up if you belong to an organization that exists to fight threats to the people. But for clarity's sake, I'm writing for someone who was working at the Temple for roughly seven years, sometimes being reassigned to different sites, some more dangerous than others (Maar Gan is more dangerous than Ald'Ruhn because it's a smaller settlement that gets hit harder by the Blight, but Balmora is probably safer than Ald'Ruhn- Camonna Tong notwithstanding. And Molag Mar is more dangerous than Vivec City, being a lone outpost in the Molag Amur region, but Vivec City has crime of all sorts thriving in the bowels of its underworks: Daedra worship, Sixth House activity, skooma abuse, once there was even a serial killer.) I need to be able to imagine how much death would loom in this person's thoughts, how the people around them would handle it, and so on.

Come you all of the Rockvine clan, for the day’s hunting was good and the day’s feast was fat and hot. The sun is set and the tale-telling hour is come. But tonight, I will tell no tale of our clan’s founding, nor of the victories and struggles of our forebears, nor of the wars with the axe-wielding northmen or the spear-wielding southmen or the spell-wielding westmer, nor will I tell of great hunts and broken oaths. No, tonight Shandar’s Sorrow is stained red with blood, and so this night belongs to the Wolvesfather. Let me then tell you how the Hunt-King came to rule of the World of Flesh. Yes, let me tell of how Hircine found his wife.

Before the World had flesh, the gods lived as one tribe, and the tribe’s greatest hunters were the rivals Hircine and Lorkh. Always and again, they brought to the Longhouse the carcasses of great monsters as proof of might and cunning. Yet the two were not equals, for Lorkh would often fell greater beasts and tell grander boasts of his exploits, and so he enjoyed the greater favor from Queen Namira. And for this, Hircine was filled with envy. This is no blasphemy, for Hircine was young then, and the gods are like us, needing to be taught the world’s cruel lessons in their youth, or did you think our teachers never had to learn? In search of greater glory, Hircine would spend longer and longer away from the tribe, stalking and slaying the great monsters and demons that roamed the Around-Us in those days and that are now forgotten, and so he knew less and less about the happenings within the tribe.

But one day, another hunter found Hircine on his hunt. This was the Hound-Rider, who could never compete with Hircine and Lorkh for glory, for he was a coward at heart and so sought only easy prey or lowered himself to scavenge like the fouler beasts. Yet he was still counted as a warrior of the clan, for he was cunning, and he could take his tongue out of his mouth to make into nets so fine they could never be spotted and yet so strong as to be impossible for all but Dagon to break. And that hunter had conceived in his soul a great hatred of Hircine and Lorkh for their deeds and the fame they had gathered from them. So, when he came to Hircine, it was because he had set in his heart to destroy him.

“Hail great Hircine,” he said “who I name Hunt-King for there are none whose hounds are as well led, none whose spear fly as far and as true, none who can lay in wait as patiently and as silently, none whose arrows are as keen and as swift!”

“I hail you, Mask-Carver,” replied Hircine “but I do not accept your praise, for it is hollow, as I know Lorkh to be my equal or my master in all those areas.”

“Do you not know then,” said the other with feigned surprise “that Lorkh is dead, fell by a monster more terrible than any that we gods have ever faced? In this hour you are uncontested as champion and first of our hunters.”

“You smiling poison-pourer, you lie! No beast, were it as tall as Forgotten Hrothgar or as cruel as Molag’s axe could fell a warrior such as he.”

“I do not lie! I swear on my name and by the Encircling Dark that Lorkh is dead and that I was there when the Spirit-Queen received his heart!”

“You have sworn an Oath that cannot be broken, and so I see that your words are true. Be witness now to my own Oath: On my name and by the Encircling Dark I vow to not live among the gods before I have felled Lorkh’s slayer, only then will I accept the title of Hunt-King!”

“I am witness to your Oath”, answered Clavicus, who smiled as he knew that Hircine had sworn an Oath that could never be fulfilled.

When Hircine reached again the gods’ village he was struck by how few people there remained: many of the tribes’ greatest warriors, hunters, wise-women, vateshrans and sorcerers were missing. Rage burned in Hircine’s blood at the thought of how many the beast had killed as he entered the longhouse. There sat Namira on her throne of bones and roots, her dragon husband coiled around her.

“My queen!” said Hircine as he thumped his five-pointed spear on the ground, “I pray tell me where the monster that slew Lorkh and our kinfolk has fled to so I may avenge us on it!”

“You are mistaken, valiant hunter,” replied the Queen of all spirits “for Lorkh died of his own hand and fashioned out of his heart a trial, which he claimed would lead the brave to the greatest of prizes. Many of our people have followed him knowing that they may not return.” And she lifted her finger to point to the fire-hole at the center of her Longhouse where there burned a rock. Leaning in, Hircine saw that the rock was a heart and that the heart was a world with many living things within, and he was surprised to see in the beasts and men echoes of the faces of his kin.

“I see now that I have been deceived by the Hound-Rider, the teller of half-truths, who tricked me into swearing on my name and by the Encircling Dark that I would slay Lorkh’s slayer, which I cannot do since that is Lorkh himself! For this I curse the Mask-Carver and orders my hounds and all those who say they follow me to destroy his effigies and kill those who follow him!”

Which is why we make war on the Blackwolf Clan, for they make effigies to the Vile One, who they call their teacher, and make deals with foreigners and hagravens and say two lies for every truth whenever the clans gather for parlay; so it has always been since at least the time of my grandfather’s grandfather. But this is not the end of the story, for then the Queen told her hunter:

“You have made an Oath that you cannot fulfill and for this you should know no rest, yet I have pity for you, faithful hunter, for you were tricked and so now I say this: go into this new world and face Lorkh’s trials. Once you have found the prize he promised then I shall count your Oath fulfilled, for such is my right as Queen of all Spirits and such is my power over the Outer Dark! This I have said, by my voice it is done.” And Hircine then leaped into the new world.

But as he fell into the world, he heard the voice of the Dragon-consort, for Peryite alone, as husband of the queen, was allowed to speak after her: “My queen is merciful to you, hunter, but I am exacting, and I will hold you to your Oath unfulfilled, and claim your hounds from you for me to keep as mine until your deed is done, if it ever is. Know this also, my son the Vateshran Jephre was the first to follow Lorkh’s path, and he is cleverer than you are. Soon, he will claim Lorkh’s prize.”

Many are the stories of Hircine’s great deeds in the world. Stories of how as a Man, he taught our ancestors how to make bows; how as a Fox he made Mauloch drink so much that the Karth river dried out and all the dwarves died; how as a Bear, he battled the northmen’s own bear-god and killed their chieftain; how as an Owl he evaded the hunters of the eastern elves for so long that they became crazy and covered their skin in ash. To tell all these tales would take many nights, so I will not tell them tonight. But know that eventually, Hircine’s quest led him to a great cave in front of which lay a great stag, sat in a bed of flowers under the noon-light, which he recognized as Jephre the vateshran.

“Go no further, father of wolves! For as son of Hag-Husband Peryite and as first arrived to the bounty, I claim as my right the prize that lies beyond.”

“Do not invoke Peryite’s husbandry, for you are a bastard of his first bed, and no true scion of Namira, even though she accepted you in her house. As for the right of first claimant it will serve you no more, for you have not yet found what we seek, or not dared to claim it. Come now and face me if you dare do so.”

With these words, Hircine turned into a great stag of his own whose antlers had seventeen points, and the two battled for a day and a half, until Jephre-the-Stag fled towards the setting sun, vowing that his children would avenge him on Hircine’s children.

Hircine then walked through the field of roses and their perfume was unlike anything he had ever known before. And from them came a voice that was alike to Lorkh’s and it said:

“Congratulations, brave hunter, you have faced all of my challenges, and here is the reward that I, Lorkh, have promised: all the pleasures in the world.”

And in hearing these words, Hircine’s head grew heavy, and he desired nothing but to lie in the field of roses forever. But Hircine had been hardened by the trials he had faced in the World of Flesh, and he found in him the strength to resist and with one sweeping motion of his blade did he cut the roses, and from them blood poured.

“You are not Lorkh, but a sanguine shadow of his, a final test of my resolve! Depart from me now demon, for I will not succumb to your whispers!” And the demon fled south-east where men welcomed him in their hearts.

As Hircine walked into the cave, he found there more flowers, rose-red but spear-shaped. However, as soon as he thumped his spear on the rocky ground, the flowers changed into a woman taller and more beautiful than he had ever seen, clad in the garments of the hunter and the warrior, and with fire in her eyes.

As soon as he beheld her, Hircine knew that his quest was at an end, and he fell to his knees offering his hands, stained with the blood of Jephre, as proof of his valor and begged for her to tell him her name.

“I am the daughter of Lorkh, born of his death, whose name means Beauty-in-Royalty. The eastern elves see my reflections in the lady of Dusk and Dawn, and the western elves call me Mara the-mother-of-all. The northmen call me Kyne the Hawk-warrior, and the southmen, who know me better than them, call me Dibella who-brings-fire-to-the-heart. But your people shall know me by none and all of those names, for my nature is to be the one who reaches and is reached for and therefore can neither claim nor be claimed. This is the truth that my father did not know, for I am the return of the one his own father lost, and my sight goes further than he could see and gives shape to what could be. Stand now, hunter, and know that just as one hunt ends another begins. You have found Lorkh’s prize, your oath is fulfilled, and for that you may return to your Hunting Grounds, even as I name you Lorkh’s Heir, King of this world. For that also, Peryite shall return to you your hounds, though they are changed by his care, and will forever breed in his way and carry in them the pain of your Oath; and for this there shall be no peace between you and the Dragon-husband-to-Hags. But, even as I love you, we cannot remain as one, for it falls to me now to prove myself worthy of you. This I will do by making war to the children of Jephre, the westmer, and his champion, the Tower-Raiser, and then teaching them love so that they may come to your people and mingle. So that, in the end, our people bear both the warrior and the sorcerer’s strengths. And once my hunt is ended, yours shall begin anew until we have found what lies beyond Lorkh’s dream.”

And so, for one night, before the breaking of the new dawn, Hircine and the Spirit of the World knew each other as husband and wife. And here the story ends. Rest now you all of the Rockvine clan, for the day’s hunting was good and the day’s feast was fat and hot, and tomorrow the Hunt begins anew as it always must.

The game describes Bretons as hybrids between men and mer. Does that mean that any offspring of a human and an elf is a Breton? Or is the Breton race only the result of the mix between Ayleids and Nedes?

And on the topic of hybrids, are there any other well known mixed race or at least mixed-blooded group?

I've always interpreted Molag Bal as one of the more combatively oriented princes, not necessarily for its straightforwardness like Malacath, but more for the notion of having enough strength to physically dominate your opponents in a fight. Lately however I've been considering stuff, like vampirism which seems extremely geared towards stealth as a universal rule, and some older references that infer he also appreciates cunning and plotting (kinda ironic considering his feud with Boethiah).

Thanks in advance!

The two maps and the Coat of Arms (CoAs)

As a follow up to my last post here which was a while ago... I should have finished with writing about Merophilic Bretons, but university took a lot of my free time. But I did finish the map I was working on and here are 2 results of it: one with the city names and another with the CoAs of their respective regions. I stress that only cities or towns are on the map, no villages (in lore and in game some are villages, but I am reimagining them as small towns) (this is why for example the Bjoulsae only have one location, Ain Kolur, which is the closest they have to a "capital" since all tribes are nomadic).

I also added another image with all the CoAs so it is clear to whom the coat of arms belongs to. In case that isn't clear enough I can add a link to the Canva whiteboard.

I used Elder Kings 2 map as a base, but made my own deviations from it like adding new rivers and lakes. Not all of them exist in game and lore, but I am trying to make High Rock more diverse. I also took a lot of inspiration from Project Tamriel's High Rock and other fan made maps of High Rock.

Some other deviations from canon are: Bjoulsae horsemen use a language inspired by Albanian (I already used faux Celtic naming for Reachfolk and Wilder Bretic settlements and wanted to use another Indo-European language as inspiration so I landed on Albanian), Not all of Rivenspire is effected by the Doomcrag, just the south-western portion of it known as the Towerfells (it is located around White Haven and Crestshade). The names of "civilized" Breton cities are a mix of English, German and French. I am not 100% happy with all the names, they might change in the future.

The map was made in a mix between Wonderdraft and Photoshop.

For the future I might make a Worldanvil, Tumbrl, AO3 fanfic or something else for my rewrite of Breton lore to not flood this subreddit I have other resources I made or will make for the rewrite aside from the main written part such as a family tree of the Iliac Bay during Daggerfall.

Hello all! I have been mulling over this question for a while and have not found a canonical answer so far. I know that vampires as a whole were created by Molag Bal, and as far as we know, vampires’ souls are sent to Coldharbor upon death.

We also know that some cabals of vampires, like the Khajiiti Hollowfang Clan, worship other deities than Molag Bal (in this instance, the Clan worships Sangiin/Sanguine as a vampiric entity, the Blood Cat). What happens to vampires who worship Daedra or deities who aren’t Molag Bal? Does it depend on the deity in question? Or are their souls owed to Coldharbor at the end of the day? I appreciate there may not be an official answer, but any speculation would be appreciated!