One of the biggest parts of The Elder Scrolls RPG series is its massive amount of lore. That lore is what has helped make the series so popular, and what Zenimax hopes will make The Elder Scrolls Online experience the same level of success or greater that the single player series has enjoyed. This week Zenimax added a new Introduction to the lore for The Elder Scrolls Online to their Facebook page. If you’re looking to get brushed up on what’s what and who is who, be sure to give it a read.

Strange things are happening all over Tamriel. The dead stir in their graves; zombies and darker creatures congregate more and more frequently in every corner of the land. Winters grow colder and crops fail. Mystics are plagued by nightmares and portents of doom.

These events began with the Soulburst, in 2E 579, four years before present. An arcane explosion in the Imperial City set off aftershocks in every corner of Nirn. Mages died or went mad. Disasters and freakish weather lashed every province of Tamriel. Red Mountain flared and trembled in Morrowind, earthquakes shook Skyrim, and massive storms devastated the coastlines of Elsweyr and Valenwood. The constellation of the Serpent reappeared in the skies and grew so large that it seemed to threaten every star sign at once.

Source: Introduction to the Lore of The Elder Scrolls Online