History TheElderScrolls / Tropes0ToA

* ArcherArchetype: The Bosmer are hailed as the best archers in all of Tamriel, with some sources stating that they are the inventors of the bow. By the age of 14, all Bosmer children are expected to be proficient enough with a bow to join hunting parties. Their very best archers are known as "Jaqspurs," able to snatch an arrow, draw their bow, and fire in one continuous motion. They are also known to make composite horn bows which are said to be some of the best in Tamriel. Both the Aldmeri Dominion and the Septim Empire have employed the Bosmer as specialist archer troops. Guides for the games recommend the Bosmer as the ideal race for those seeking to play as archer characters.

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** The [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] and their [[ReligionOfEvil Dragon Cults]] ruled over mankind very early in Tamriellic history. The [[SinisterMinister Dragon Priests]] dominated and brutalized their mortal subjects in the name of their dragon overlords, particularly Alduin, the BeastOfTheApocalypse and "first born" of the dragons. Eventually, mankind prayed to the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Divines]] for aid and their prayers were answered when they were taught how to use the [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]], the draconic LanguageOfMagic, against the dragons. Alduin was [[SealedEvilInACan cast out of the timestream]], the vast majority of his dragon minions were slain (albeit [[ResurrectiveImmortality temporarily]]), and the cults were overthrown. Thousands of years later, Alduin's return would lead to the return of all dragons and the events of ''Skyrim''.

** The series' [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]] are [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Aedric]] entities (the "Angels" to the [[AngelsDevilsAndSquid Daedric "Devils" and Sithis "Squid"]]), with divine immortal souls, who are said to be the children of Akatosh, the [[DragonsAreDivine draconic god]] of [[TimeMaster Time]] and TopGod of the [[SaintlyChurch Nine Divines pantheon]]. Like a classic western dragon, they are massive reptilian beasts with bat-like wings and slender extremities, tipped by razor sharp talons. Dragons are highly intelligent and possess an inherent affinity for magic, best evidenced by their mastery over the "[[LanguageOfMagic Thu'um]]", the ability to [[MakeMeWannaShout channel magical energy through words]] and [[RealityWarper warp reality]]. Their physical forms are [[TheAgeless Ageless]], and while any being of sufficient ability can slay them, Dragons possess ResurrectiveImmortality and can only be truly killed by another "Dov" (a fellow dragon or Dragonborn) who can absorb their soul. According to some theories, they aren't so much the "children" of Akatosh as [[PiecesOfGod fragments of his very being]].

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* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Tiber Septim, the [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder]] of the Third Tamriellic Empire who [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended after his death]] as [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]], the Ninth Divine, has this among the races of Men, especially the Imperials and Nords. He's remembered as a great hero of mankind, the unifier of Tamriel, and as the ideal all men should aspire to become. (Don't get the elves, especially the Thalmor, started on him though...)

* AscendedFanfic: Tamriel got its start as the developers' home-brew ''Franchise/DungeonsAndDragons'' setting.

** Sheogorath, the [[MadGod Daedric Price of Madness]], oddly enough plays with this trope. For someone who ends all his conversations with "Visit again or I'll pluck out your eyes!", he is surprisingly nonviolent. Even if you attack him, he doesn't attack back directly, just scolds you and teleports you into the sky, causing you to fall to your death. (Or possibly leaves you where you are, and hurls ''the planet'' at ''you''. He's used a ColonyDrop before in the {{backstory}} afterall...) Just don't make him too happy or talk to him while he's contemplating on having Brain Pie for lunch. Further, he's actually not technically in control of "Axe Crazy" only but Madness as a whole. Mehrunes Dagon and or maybe Boethiah might be more "Axe Crazy" since they're both a lot more violent and associated with violence. Dagon in particular likes to sent you on a mission to kill people who he dislikes, if he's not trying to smash you himself.

** Anu and Padomay are the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification anthropomorphized]] primordial forces of [[OrderVersusChaos "stasis/order/light" and "change/chaos/darkness"]], respectively. Their interplay in the great "void" before creation would [[CreationMyth lead to creation]] itself, sometimes anthropomorphized as the female entity "Nir". Nir favored Anu, which Padomay hated. Padomay killed Nir and shattered the 12 worlds she had created. Anu wounded Padomay and presumed him dead, so Anu salvaged the pieces of the 12 worlds into one: Nirn. Padomay was not dead, however, and returned. He drew blood from Anu as he attempted to destroy Nirn, so Anu [[TakingYouWithMe pulled them both outside of time]] in order to protect Nirn. In the various religious traditions of the Tamriellic cultures, Any and Padomay are considered a version of TheOldGods, with Anu as the GodOfGods for his role in protecting Nirn while Padomay becomes the "Anti-God" for his attempt to destroy it.

** The series has another version in Yokuda. Once one of the most advanced society of its time, the entire continent sank for mysterious reasons. Explanations ranging from the natural, such as a tsunami or earthquake, to the more fantastic, such as a group of rogue [[MasterSwordsman Ansei]] using their DangerousForbiddenTechnique FantasticNuke. Although, in this case, there are hints that some islands from the old continent that still remain. For instance, ''[[https://www.imperial-library.info/content/lord-vivecs-sword-meeting-cyrus-restless Lord Vivec's Sword Meeting with Cyrus the Restless]]'' takes place on one of these islands.

* AssimilationPlot: This is one of the theories about [[RiddleForTheAges what happened to]] the Dwemer. According to the theory, they discovered [[CosmicKeystone the Heart]] of the [[GodIsDead "dead" god]], Lorkhan, deep beneath Red Mountain. As extreme {{Naytheist}}s who, as a culture, attempted to ''[[BlueAndOrangeMorality refute everything as real]]'', the constructed the [[HumongousMecha Numidium]] to channel the Heart's power and use it as their vessel to become a singularity, [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence refuting reality and going beyond it]]. They may have succeeded...[[GoneHorriblyWrong or not]]. Either way, their entire race blinked out of existence all across Tamriel in a single instant and haven't been heard from since.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: as is the [[RealityWarper nature]] [[TimeCrash of]] [[CosmicRetcon divinity]] in the ES universe.

** Following his death, Tiber Septim, ascended to godhood as the Aedric Divine Talos. There are many hotly debated theories on exactly how he accomplished this, the most prominent involving MergerOfSouls and ("[[BecomingTheMask mantling]]") explanations with Lorkhan. In ''Skyrim'', this is the motivation behind the Thalmor outlawing Talos worship throughout Tamriel. They believe (possibly correctly) that Talos is the last pillar keeping Mundus, the mortal plane, extant. They believe if people cease to worship Talos, he will no longer exist, and then elves can return to their pre-creation immortality.

** In ''Morrowind'', Jiub is the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]]'s [[WalkingShirtlessScene shirtless]], bald, [[HandicappedBadass one-eyed]] fellow prisoner aboard the Imperial Prison Ship at the start of the game. He lets the Nerevarine known they've arrived in Morrowind and asks for the Nerevarine's name, and is never seen again once the Nerevarine exits the ship. Despite his [[SpearCarrier very limited role]], he was popular enough with fans to generate countless {{Fan Fic}}s and {{Game Mod}}s which add him back into the game. Bethesda took notice and, in ''Oblivion'', mention that [[HeroOfAnotherStory became a Saint]] in Morrowind for driving the ([[GoddamnedBats much reviled]]) Cliff Racers [[LegendaryInTheSequel to extinction]]. His spirit makes a cameo in ''Skyrim''[='s=] ''Dawnguard'' DLC, where he offers a sidequest in the [[SpiritWorld Soul Cairn]].

* ArmorOfInvincibility: Pieces of artifact class armor are almost always among the very best of their armor type throughout the series. The Savior's Hide (an artifact armor set associated with [[TheWildHunt Hircine]]) and the Ebony Mail (associated with [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Boethiah]]) are two recurring examples. Additionally, you can enchant your own set of generic high-end armor to become borderline invincible as well. (AntiMagic Magic Resistance]] and [[AttackReflector Reflect Damage]] are two popular options.) This method allows you to create some fantastically powerful equipment more custom-suited to your play style than what the "artifact" armors offer.

* ArcNumber: The series has the number 9, most often expressed as a form of "8+1". There are [[OurGodsAreDifferent 9 Divines]] in the [[SaintlyChurch Imperial religion]], comprising 8 conventional gods and 1 [[DeityOfHumanOrigin human who became a god]]. There are traditionally 9 provinces in the Cyrodiilic Empire (Cyrodiil itself and 8 others), and 9 districts and principal cities in the provinces of Skyrim and Cyrodiil (both the capital plus 8 others). The [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield Amulet of Kings]] has 8 small jewels and 1 large jewel. There are eight '[[TheTower Towers]]' sustaining the barriers between the realms, and one 'zeroth stone' that is the origin of their power. Even the universe itself is said to be shaped like a wheel with 8 spokes, the '+1' being the solid line made when viewed on it's side.

* AnswerToPrayers: Alessia the Slave Queen led her fellow Nedes ({{Precursors}} to most modern races of Men) in a SlaveRevolt against their [[OurElvesAreDifferent Ayleid]] overlords. She prayed to the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Aedra]] for their aid and, with the Ayleids having largely abandoned Aedra worship to worship the darker Daedra, the Aedra responded. They sent Morihaus (a demi-god "winged-[[OurMinotaursAreDifferent bull man]]) and Pelinal Whitestrake (a [[TheBerserker berserker]] knight simulatenously believed to be a GodInHumanForm and a {{Cyborg}} from the future) to aid her armies to great effect. Further, after Pelinal's rampages, Kyne (one of the Aedra) would "send in her rain" to "cleanse" the [[PaintTheTownRed destroyed Ayleid forts and villages]] so Alessia's forces could use them. After defeating the Ayleids and [[FounderOfTheKingdom founding the first Cyrodiilic Empire]], Alessia would found the religion of the Eight (later [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Nine]], then [[KillTheGod Eight]] again) Divines to worship the Aedra who aided her while she became Saint Alessia. She married and had a son with Morihaus, who seems to have left the mortal world again after her death.

* AndManGrewProud: Or "And the Dwemer grew proud", as the case may be. Haughty, egotistic, and very cruel at times, they made [[SteamPunk mechanical]] [[{{Magitek}} devices]], [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow metaphysical theorem]], and buildings using technologies and materials centuries more advanced than anything seen since. The Dwemer were very {{Naytheist}}ic, acknowledging the "gods" that the other races worshiped, but not considering them to be beings truly worthy of worship. (It's said that they would intentionally summon Daedra, even [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]], just to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu test their divinity]].) They went so far as to try and [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence make themselves gods]], and [[RiddleForTheAges managed to vanish completely]], the whole race, every one of them. No one, still living, really knows what happened to them, but one prominnent theory is that they eventually became so powerful and arrogant that they became skeptical of reality itself, and tried to use [[CosmicKeystone the heart of]] [[GodIsDead a "dead" god]] to break themselves down into the base elements and then reforge themselves into ascended beings, and either ''[[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence succeeded]]'' or [[GoneHorriblyWrong got the reforging step wrong]]. In either case, [[LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair all that remains of the Dwemer is the ruins of their old civilization, for adventurers, scholars, and looters to pick through]]. Several cities seen throughout the series are built on top of ancient Dwemer cities (Mournhold) and/or incorporate parts of the Dwemer cities (Markarth).

** The series in general plays with this. You can find a vast mix of names within the Tamriel, from the exotic (Mannimarco, Wadarkhu) to the common (Jon, Jim) but most of the races have their own naming conventions (based heavily in their [[CultureChopSuey Counterpart Cultures]],) and ''stick'' to those naming conventions. So it's generally played straight for the world as a whole and ranges from downplayed to averted within the races themselves. Exceptions do exist, but they are fairly rare. (Take, for example, Emperor Uriel Septim VII, and his sons, Geldall, Enman, Ebel, and....Martin. Granted, the last one ''is'' illegitimate, but...)

** The Daedric ruins of Morrowind, built by the ancient Daedra-worshiping Chimer, they are massive monolithic structures constructed in some truly impossible ways.

** This is the case for the [[NonIndicativeName Ideal Masters]], who rule over a dimension of Oblivion known as the Soul Cairn. Despite this, they are not Daedric Princes like the other rulers of Oblivion and are not counted among their ranks. In fact, no one, not even the [[DivineParentage Demiprince son]] one of the Daedric Princes, is quite sure ''what'' they are anymore, though it is known that they [[WasOnceAMan were once mortal sorcerers]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: The extinct [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]] created all manner of MechaMooks which are said to be capable of interpreting the actions of people around them and responding accordingly. Given that the Dwemer were known to [[RealityWarper bend the laws of nature and phyics]] to [[RagnarokProofing make their creations last]], many are still up and running even thousands of years after the Dwemer's disappearance. Various attempts to control these "animunculi" have been made in the millennia since the Dwemer vanished, often ending with the machines going berserk.

** This is likewise the case for the Daedric Princes. According to some interpretations, the Daedric planes ''are'' the Daedric Princes is a GeniusLoci way. The vast majority of the Princes will take more humanoid forms when dealing with mortals, with [[EldritchAbomination Hermaeus Mora]] as the main exception. In all cases, it is speculated that mortals [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm Cannot Grasp Their True Forms]], similar to the Alien Sky example of Lorkhan and the Aedra above.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority:

* AluminumChristmasTrees:
** [[MascotMook Mud Crabs]] are an [[GiantEnemyCrab aggressive, roughly tortoise-sized crab species]] found in many varieties throughout Tamriel. You'd be easily forgiven for thinking they're fictional, but [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scylla_serrata you'd be wrong]]. (The ''Oblivion'' variety even looks somewhat like the real thing.)
** Ebony is a series' staple of a high-tier {{Fantasy Metal|s}}, functioning somewhat like Obsidian and theorized to be the petrified blood of the mortal world's [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]]. Ebony does exist in real life, however, it is not a stone. It is actually a dense black wood taken from ebony trees found in India and parts of Africa. It's so dense it sinks in water, and is mainly used for ornamental stuff like chess pieces and piano keys.
** Wherever they appear in the series', Tamriel's native Sabre Cats have large, stocky, bear-like bodies as opposed to the sleeker, more slender appearance of modern real-life big cats. This understandably gives players the impression that Sabre Cats are are fantastic hybrid animals, like a griffon or a manticore. They are actually pretty much one-to-one copies of the genus ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilodon Smilodon]]''.

'''Note:''' ''Elder Scrolls'' lore is generally not clear-cut. Reasons for this range from [[UnreliableNarrator biased]] in-universe sources intentionally only giving you only one side of a story, to sources [[CriticalResearchFailure lacking critical information]] or working from [[BlatantLies false information]], to the implication that AllMythsAreTrue, despite the contradictions, or that at least all myths are MetaphoricallyTrue. [[WordOfGod Out-of-game developer supplemental texts]] (frequently referred to as "Obscure Texts" by the lore community) are more trustworthy, but are frequently left [[LooseCanon unofficial]] and sometimes later contradicted. Because of this, it is entirely possible for two contradictory statements in the below examples to ''both'' be true. (And due to frequent events in-universe that [[TimeCrash alter the timeline]], both may ''literally'' be true in-universe.)

* AttackAnimal: Clannfear are a form of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]] with animalistic intelligence and the general appearance of [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs raptors]] with frills and beaks. They are known to serve in Mehrunes Dagon's (the Daedric Prince of [[DestroyerDeity Destruction]]) LegionsOfHell in this capacity.