Elder Scrolls Online Races: The Ebonheart Pact

Nords
| Dark Elves
| Argonians

History

The east coast of Tamriel is home to the Ebonheart Pact, from mountainous
Skyrim in the north to the swamps of the Black Marsh in the south. By most
accountings, the constituent members of the Ebonheart Pact shouldn't get
along - the Argonians from the Black Marsh have
historically been enslaved by the Dark Elves of
Morrowind, and the Nords of Skyrim have traditionally
bullied the Dark Elves (and basically everybody else). The only things
these people hate more than each other is a) everyone else, and b) the
idea that whoever takes control of Cyrodiil will attempt to strip them of
their independence. 

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Ebonheart Pact - Jorunn the Skald-King

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251838">

The Ebonheart Pact was formed out of necessity, when the foreign armies
of Akavir invaded Tamriel from the north. Working together, the Nords,
Dark Elves and Argonians crushed a major force of the invading Akaviri
army. The Nords drove the Akaviri from their march on Riften, driving them
down into Morrowind, where the Dark Elves and Argonians converged on them.
This great victory forged a deep respect for one another in the three
races - despite their historical acrimony, they saw each others' strength
and recognized the power of their combined might. They formed the Great
Moot, the governing body of the Ebonheart Pact consisting of
representatives of all the races and headed by the Nord, Jorunn the
Skald-King.

Goals

The people of the Ebonheart Pact are united in their desire to remain
independent. They have no desire to labor under the yoke of a racist,
totalitarian Altmer-run regime, and they feel that the Daggerfall Covenant
is too dangerous to rule as a central government. The Ebonheart Pact is
arguably the most balanced faction in the Elder Scrolls Online, but that
balance is fragile and based on the ability of the three races to keep one
another in-line.

Races

alt="Elder Scrolls Races - Nords" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251839">

Nords

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/251862/page/3">Elder Scrolls Races - Dark Elves

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251840">

Dark Elves

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/251862/page/4">Elder Scrolls Races - Argonians

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251841">

Argonians

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nords

Nords

History & Lore

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nords

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251839">The great hero
Ysgramor gathered a great group of followers from the far-northern nation
of Atmora, sailed south and landed on the shores of Skyrim. The new
continent was already settled by elves, the native human Nedic people and
some previous Atmoran immigrant groups, but the people who would become
the Nords carved their new civilization into the cold, unforgiving rock.

The earliest years were more or less peaceful and harmonious, but
eventually the native Snow Elves staged a brutal attack on a Nord city in
order to halt the humans' expansion, or possibly to capture a source of
great power buried beneath the city. The reaction to this attack was
swift, furious and terrible - Ysgramor and his army, the Five Hundred
Companions, who had fled back to Atmora after the attack, returned to
Skyrim and exterminated the Snow Elves, driving the few survivors into
underground exile where they transformed into the feral Falmer. The Five
Hundred Companions went on to settle across Tamriel, and most modern
humans in Tamriel are descended from these people. The Nords ruled most of
Tamriel for the first few hundred years of the First Era.

The current Nords of the late Second Era have a long history of savage
conflict with all of their neighbors, though they have also proven to be
staunch allies during times of strife - such as during invasions from
Akavir. They are infamous among their enemies - as well as their allies -
for their savage battle-lust and terrifying strength, and for their
hardiness against the elements.

Characteristics

Nords are usually pale-skinned and light-haired, and are the tallest
humans. They are sometimes depicted with their faces painted in woad, like
ancient Celts, but most Nord culture is lifted from northern Germanic
cultures - Vikings, Danes, Franks, Saxons and others.

They usually have bonuses to physical stats like Strength and Endurance,
with penalties to mental stats. This is usually paired with bonuses to big
weapons and some kinds of armor. They don't get a "Berserker Rage" ability
like the Orcs, but they still make natural berserkers and "barbarian" type
characters because of their proficiency with big axes and (usually) light
or medium armor. They also have resistance to cold and frost, which is
situationally handy. And contrary to popular belief, they do not all
suffer from a weakness to arrows in the knee area - that's specific to
town guards.

Appearances in Previous Games

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nord - Arena" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251843">

Arena

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nord - Daggerfall" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251844">

Daggerfall

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nord - Morrowind" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251845">

Morrowind

rowspan="1">Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nord - Oblivion

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251846">

Oblivion

rowspan="1">Elder Scrolls Online Races - Nord - Skyrim

Skyrim







Nords
| Dark Elves
| Argonians

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dark Elves

Dark Elves (Dunmer)

History & Lore

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dark Elves

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251840">The Dark Elves, also
known as Dunmer, are the ashen-skinned, red-eyed natives of the harsh,
volcanic province of Morrowind. They are tough, resilient and intelligent,
skilled at both physical combat and magic, but they are also sort of
isolationists. They don't get on well with any other races... or the gods.

Originally, they were called the Chimer, and were physically the same as
the Altmer but no longer wished to follow High Elf laws and customs. The
Chimer left the Summerset Isles and headed to Morrowind, following the
lead of a prophet called the Veloth who was working for the Daedric Prince
Boethiah. This exodus had a profound impact on elf-kind - the followers of
the Veloth eventually became the Dunmer, and the elves who opposed the
exodus became the Orsimer (the Orcs). The Chimer took on their current
ashen-skinned, red-eyed appearance as the result of a curse from the
Daedric Princess Azura for the murder-sacrifice of their leader in order
to summon the god to the Red Mountain. Azura decreed that, forever after,
their eyes would be as red as volcanic ash, and their skin as black as
their hearts.

Dunmer culture in Morrowind is dominated by the Great Houses  and
the Ashlanders. The Great Houses are the ruling class of Morrowind, and
the six of them jointly run the province. The Ashlanders are nomadic
primitives who live in small tent-camps and wander the volcanic wastes.
Slavery is a big industry in Morrowind, especially Argonian and Khajiit
slaves, and Dunmer religion is markedly different from the Divine-worship
religions of the other people. The Dark Elves worship their ancestors, and
believe that the three ancestor-gods known as the Tribunal walk the earth
and take part in Morrowind politics. Ashlander Dunmer worship the Tribunal
plus some Daedra. 

Not all Dunmer are on-board for the alliance with the Nords and
Argonians. House Telvanni still raids the Black Marsh for Argonian slaves
- an action which threatens to unravel the already shaky alliance of the
Ebonheart Pact.

Characteristics

Dark Elves are average height, with typically thin builds. Their skin
ranges in tone from dark, dusky grey to deep shades of ashy-green, and
their eyes are red. Hair is often dark or red, and males occasionally wear
beards.

Dunmer can do well in any class role. They usually have bonuses to bladed
weapons, Destruction magic (and a couple of other schools), and some
thieving abilities. They are jacks-of-all-trades, the middle-ground that
can excel at whatever they put their minds to. Their volcanic homeland
gives them a natural resistance to fire, and their ancestor worship gives
them special ties to the spirit world - since Morrowind, Dunmer have had
an ability to summon an ancestor's spirit to protect them or damage their
enemies.

Appearances in Previous Games

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dunmer - Arena" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251849">

Arena

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dunmer - Daggerfall" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251850">

Daggerfall

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dunmer - Morrowind" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251851">

Morrowind

rowspan="1">Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dark Elf - Oblivion

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251852">

Oblivion

rowspan="1">Elder Scrolls Online Races - Dark Elf - Skyrim

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251853">

Skyrim







Nords
| Dark Elves
| Argonians

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonians

Argonians

History & Lore

Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonians

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251841">The Black Marsh,
also known as Argonia, is home to some really strange stuff, not least of
which are the Argonians themselves. The intelligent lizard-people live
mysterious lives in their ancient, impenetrable swamps, worshiping
sentient trees and training as secret assassins. Most other peoples of
Tamriel consider them "Beastfolk," regarding them as inferior beings and
often keeping them as slaves. 

Argonians are shaped by the extremes of their native environment. The
abundance of great inland waterways, still pools and ponds and other
bodies of water means the Argonians need to be able to do a lot of
swimming. Coupled with their gills, which enable them to breathe
underwater, and their powerful tails, this affinity with the water makes
Argonians nearly as speedy in the water as they are on the land. Some
parts of the Black Marsh are inaccessible to any but Argonians, and
Argonian armies are known to bivouac deep underwater. They are natural
guerilla fighters, assassins and skirmishers, able to make swift, brutal
attacks followed by quick, untrackable escapes underwater. Furthermore,
their constant exposure to swamp-born pathogens has strengthened their
immune systems considerably, making them resistant to even virulent
infections like the Knahaten Flu, which they may or may not have created
to infect the invaders that enter the swamps to enslave them. They are
not, however, immune to lycanthropy... but they have a special kind of
lycanthropy. No other race turns into were-crocodiles.

Very little is known of their culture or lifestyle outside of the Black
Marsh. It is known that they hold a close, quasi-religious relationship
with the bizarre Hist tree, which grows abundantly there and may possess
an intelligent and psychic hive-mind. Argonians drink the sap of the Hist
at birth and infancy, and believe that this is how an Argonian earns his
soul. It also enables them to speak telepathically to the Hist from which
they drank. They are also known to revere Sithis, believing this god to be
the creator of all, and any Argonian born under the sign of the Shadow is
given to the Dark Brotherhood to be trained in the arts of stealth and
contract murder. These Argonians are known as Shadowscales, and their
order serves the government of the Black Marsh as royal assassins and
problem-solvers.

Characteristics

Argonians have appeared in every Elder Scrolls game so far. They are
usually of average height and thin build, with scaly skin in a wide range
of colors. Their appearance has changed significantly from game to game -
in Morrowind, for example, they had long, bestial feet and walked funky,
but in Oblivion they had normal, human-style feet and walked like everyone
else. They have had long tails since Daggerfall, and a broad assortment of
fins and horns and scale patterns since Morrowind.

In all games with swimming, Argonians have had the ability to breathe
underwater, and strong resistance to disease. In Morrowind and Oblivion,
they were immune to poison, but in Skyrim, this ability was replaced with
the Histskin ability, which recovered health at 10 times the normal rate
for 60 seconds. They have also been historically blessed with assassin,
thieving or skirmisher type skills. They also come bundled with a handful
of magic skills and can excel as wizards.

Appearances in Previous Games

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonian - Arena" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251855">

Arena

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonian - Daggerfall" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251856">

Daggerfall

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonian - Morrowind" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251857">

Morrowind

rowspan="1">Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonian - Oblivion

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251858">

Oblivion

rowspan="1">Elder Scrolls Online Races - Argonian - Skyrim

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251859">

Skyrim







Nords
| Dark Elves
| Argonians


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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