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Elder Scrolls So why is Elder Scrolls lore so interesting?

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I'm always left bereft of words when trying to explain to someone why I find TES lore so appealing. It's hard to weigh or judge the qualities that make this fantasy world stand out so much so I’m making this thread to compile a list of arguments.

  • Different interpretations
There’s never just one side to a story. Propaganda is nothing new to fantasy, indeed a lot of settings use different points of view to keep its audience on edge, but it’s very rare that I’ve seen it used so effectively.

I think the main reason for this is because TES doesn’t use propaganda to punish the player/reader for being gullible (like finding out that the gargoyles weren’t evil in Ultima 6). And it’s never brought about as a great revelation that no one knew, but rather it’s out there in the open and you are simply asked to believe whatever you wish.

  • Religion and syncretism.
There isn't much I can say about this, other that the use of syncretism throughout Tamrielic history really reinforces the idea that the gods are real for these people, rather than an artificial decoration glued on top to reflect or simulate the real world.
  • It encourages scrutiny
For every book that states a fact about life on Tamriel there are 10 that act as commentary on that subject. The answers given are rarely factual, but often metaphorical and vague, leaving a lot up to interpretation. And it's really easy to interpret things in TES, it encourages and rewards your scrutiny. TES is more a world of questions than it is of answers.


It's a very incomplete list, but I ask on any TES fan here to add to it. Just post whatever comes to mind and I'll add it to this list. :)

The sources of inspiration. Some of the people behind the lore really know their stuff. Some knowledge of Eastern cultures and religions will help you spot them. Here's one:

Harihara_V%26A.jpg


Ring a bell? This is Harihara, a deity that combines Vishnu (the blue part) and Shiva (the white part). You can tell where the inspiration for Vivec came from. But there's more. In Hinduism, Vishnu is a figure linked to maintenance, or preservation, whereas Shiva is linked to destruction (and hence innovation). This is mirrored in TES lore by Anu (Stasis) and Padomay (Change).

I would therefore venture that there is another meaning behind Vivec's two colors, other than simply "half Chimer and half Dunmer". He has achieved CHIM, hence he manipulates both stasis and change, maintenance and destruction. He is the one who has been preserving Dunmer culture for so long, and yet he is the one who will destroy it (Landfall), as he lays it out in his 36 Lessons.

I just wrote this off the top of my head. It just goes to show how deep the lore is if you venture below the surface. I guess that's why I love the TES world, with all its flaws and crappy games.

Yes, I'd say The Elder Scrolls is so "alien" and esoteric precisely because it is so to a Western ideology that dominates today.

Someone without any knowledge about Eastern philosophy or concepts will basically look at TES and say to himself "whoa, in comparison to other fantasy, that one doesn't take inspiration from clear, distinguishable archetypes, like i.e. Orcs do from Mongols etc." As much as balls Kirkbride is, that is not really the case. For example, the concept of universe shaped like the Wheel with eight spokes or Aedra/Daedra/etc. being simply the aspects of the "hidden" Godhead, the Dreamer, seem very alien, but those are basic concepts in the East. When you know a thing or two about i.e. Hinduism and Buddhism in regard to the metaphysical aspect of TES lore that is the foundation to many aspects of it, everything becomes much more distinguishable and familiar.
 
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mikaelis

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Also it has different elves races, so it is like in real world, you know, blacks, yellows and whities. And they have their shits unsettled.

Plus they have a highly intelligent Dwemers dwarves that are actually elves, and they are erradicated from the world -> references to real world -> Holocaust on Jews the most intelligent people on earth (earning money like hell). So you see very elaborate plot here, that can leave a mark in anybody's soul.

That's a real deal, mang!
 

abnaxus

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It was good, before Kirkbride ruined it with CHIM faggotry and barbed cat dick was removed from Real Barenziah.
 
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Because Bosmer are cannibals and closet nudists and not above calling in The Wild Hunt on your ass if you mess with them.
 

Rahdulan

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Because it's a glorious and ambiguous clusterfuck shaped into its most well-known form by a man who obviously knows a lot about Mesopotamian gods, Gnosticism and quality beverages. Say what you want about him, but Kirkbride was largely responsible for that "something" TES has going for itself lore-wise, even now after Bethesda became intent on making it dumb as fuck accessible with Oblivion and Skyrim.

QJyN51G.jpg
 

mondblut

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It was good, before Kirkbride ruined it with CHIM faggotry and barbed cat dick was removed from Real Barenziah.

Countless Crowley references in 36 lessons of Vivec were pretty :obviously: . But "Real Barenziah" without pron? Blasphemy!
 
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It's interesting because everyone seems to have a different explanation for everything, which may be more of an excuse to pull shit like the Warp in the West with a straight face (which makes "Cyrodiil is now a pleasant grassfield" sound like a minor change), but helps make the world seem more believable.

edit: 11 of 20. Though one question listed "Molag Amur" twice in the list of answers, so even the questionnaire maker is confused by the names :lol:.

edit 2: 13 out of 20 in Oblivion's quiz. The questions are easier, though (who's the main antagonist? Is there a "The Assassin" birthsign? Is the shrine of Namira located in any of these provinces you can't access since the game takes place in Cyrodiil only?)
 
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Admiral jimbob

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Speaking of TES lore...
http://www.shortlist.com/tech/gaming/the-ultimate-morrowind-quiz
I got 14/20, and I've recently been playing it. Who remembers stuff like what people in the Balmora mage's guid are called?
Trebonius was the head of the Mages' Guild and pretty hilarious, he sends you on various insane quests that literally can't be completed and stay in your journal forever to show what an inept beauracrat he is. Good character. Imagine how upset people would be if they tried pulling that now.

Also I got halfway through and it asked me an outright Oblivion question. Like, a question about stuff that's in Cyrodiil cities. Hmph. :rpgcodex:

I still got 17, please help me
 

Emily

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Well technically you have to use 1 spell before you are admitted :lol:
 
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Surf Solar

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I always found it.. uninteresting. Not boring, but not very interesting either, just doesnt click for me. Sure, it's something different, but eh.
 

DalekFlay

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  • I love that you can actually interact with the gods, and question them, because they're just different kinds of beings after all.
  • I love that people can have things wrong in the games and passionately tell you HOW IT IS even if it isn't that way at all.
  • I love that, in Morrowind anyway, there is a political and religious focus that most games ignore or even run away from.
  • I love the frontier feel of Morrowind and the cold, fading feel of Skyrim. Both locations feel like sad, dying places that you are caught in.
I think for the most part people love the lore of Morrowind and transpose it onto the other games.
 

Turisas

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Who remembers stuff like what people in the Balmora mage's guid are called?

It didn't test that, though. It tested how well you remember the faction leader names (granted the character was from Oblivion). Got 18/20 myself.
 

Turjan

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17/20. Haven't really played the game in years. I got the place where you find the Vampiric Ring, the title of the head of the Fighter's Guild and the birthsign question wrong. It seems that at least the game is quite memorable to me :).

Why did I find the lore so appealing? I guess Morrowind had the right mix of "normal" stuff and Kirkbride mindfuckery for me. Also, the fact that there's so much to discover. And you are still not quite sure of anything.
 

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