Out-of-universe discussion
Recently, we had the marvelous pleasure of sitting down with Lawrence Schick, former Loremaster of Zenimax Online Studios In this interview, we peer into the depths of Schick’s psyche, and hear what he has to say about his own experiences with The Elder Scrolls both before and after his tenure as Loremaster. Thank you so…
As has been discussed previously in this modest publication, the mechanics of the games stand separate from the lore of The Elder Scrolls universe. Yes, the games are a medium that give us an oculus into what Tamriel is or could be, but what happens when the two don’t exactly mesh well?Such is a conundrum…
Of all the systems of belief that humankind has utilized to understand our place in the world, the concept of necessary dualism is surely one of the most enduring. Whether we structure our thinking in terms of good and evil, masculine and feminine, true and false or simply us and them, the world almost lends…
“Trinimac (Remake) | Illustration by 000-Grey, DeviantArt
A Basic Treatise on its Structures and their Functions Author Biography: All manuscripts by this author have been submitted to the Press by a large, imposing, humanoid figure. While this figure appears to be vaguely masculine, during all encounters it has worn a cloak that obscures its features; as such, the staff is unable to…
It lies beneath the skin of The Elder Scrolls. It’s barely perceptible, yet lays a foundation and musculature that will stick with the series for as long as it lives in societal memory. It is the basis upon which the games are created, the brick to the mortar of fan expectation. In its youth, TES…
Every once in a while, you come across a work that is more than what it seems on its surface. The title and its contents are often obvious enough, but the hidden value of the work is in how it informs your reading of other works. And to me, that is what Khunzar-ri: Origin is…
There have been previous attempts to establish a naming convention for Ashlanders. These attempts to create a system have simply reduced their naming convention to a combination of prefixes and suffixes. However, Ashlander names are actually inspired by Babylonian (as well as Assyrian and Akkadian). This new Ashlander naming convention is heavily inspired by Babylonian…
As has been noted before, here and elsewhere, this community is blessed with some of the most enigmatic, intellectually-complex meta possible for any fandom. We have literal decades of intense religious and philosophical study, debate and feverish cross-referencing, with more and more Metaphysica being examined and reexamined every day. So much intellectual progress into the…
This article first appeared in Volume 1, Issue 10 of The Tel Mora Independent Press. A lot of people, to this day, still argue about C0DA, and whether or not it should be considered “canon”. There is debate about whether or not the “canon wars” are over, and what constitutes canon, and, in some cases,…
This interview first appeared in Volume 1, Issue 10 of The Tel Mora Independent Press. What can you tell us about yourself? LT: Wow! Open-ended. Okay. I guess the highlights are that I’m a lifelong gamer, enthusiastic game developer, and father of two amazing kids. I love comic books, tabletop roleplaying, philosophy, film, music, and…
Version 2 To see the original document, click here
The Elder Scrolls lore is a patchwork, a rich tapestry of ideas and texts presented to us through a range of characters and situations that don’t tell the whole story. That’s the fun, they say. It’s what makes it real–like real history. Except, after having gone through The Elder Scrolls lore for many years,…
To see the full interview in video, click here. This transcript has not been edited for clarity and includes some vulgar language. Greetings, and welcome to The Tel Mora Independent Press interview! I am Andrew, also known as The White Guar, Editor-in-chief of the Tel Mora Independent Press. Today we have with us IceFireWarden! TWG:…
In Game First, Story Later, my good friend SilenceofAutumn explains how The Elder Scrolls is, as the title suggests, a video game first and foremost, and a work of literary fiction after the fact. I could not disagree more; I think that by creating a dichotomy between “game” and “story,” we are essentially separating limb…
Swimming around in the vast sea of the Elder Scrolls fandom, many of us (especially those who come from the more sheltered regions of Lore study, such as this subreddit or the Imperial Library forums) will have noticed a virulently rabid hate for the creation of one particular (former) developer, Michael Kirkbride (often simply referred…
This is something of a response to The White Guar’s article on the nature of Sheogorath (Scratch That, Cheese for No One), in which he argued against the general ‘so randum lol’ attitude and memefication of the Madgod. And while it is true that Sheogorath, from a lore perspective at least, should be far darker…
Illustrations by TheMyzel
This article was first published in Volume 1, Issue 6 of The Tel Mora Independent Press. It has become his rallying cry. His standard-bearers chant it in comments throughout the internet, the keystroke war drums herald the asinine giggles and the “XD” that are sure to follow. Cheese for everyone. Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of…
“TES: Dwemer Centurion” | Illustration by coupleofkooks
When people hear the word “canon,” it may mean one of several different things. The textbook definition is (according to Oxford English Dictionary): “The works of a particular author or artist that are recognized as genuine,” and “The list of works considered to be permanently established as being of the highest quality.” So what Oxford…
PROLOGUE: THIS GAME DOES THINGS TO PEOPLE I once spent a fantastic evening at an arcade/gamer bar in Melbourne, talking to a mish-mash of pagan acquaintances, psychology majors, and friends-of-friends from the Computer Sciences circuit. We talked, as one does in a gamer bar, about video games: the psych majors elaborated on Skinner and Sartre…
This originally began as a collaboration expanding upon LadyN’s concept of the Parabolic Kalpa: “The parabolic kalpa relies on the idea of flux. It relies also on the assumption that the divine is real and relevant, and that we descend from it. As time goes on we are separated more and more from divinity, ultimately…
I write this as an answer to a startling twist that the story of Morrowind’s Great Houses took in the canon writings after TESIII:Morrowind. This answer leans heavily on Tamriel Rebuilt (TR) lore, but I think even without it, it could still stand on its own and put sense to the shaky alliance that Hlaalu…
This theory was originally posted to r/teslore. Click here to see the original post and comments.
In psychology, there is a concept known as the “Dark Triad.” This is a set of three negative traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. It is my theory that these traits correlate very well with the three characters in Elder Scrolls that have achieved CHIM, Vivec, Talos, and (according to many theories) Molag Bal. Let’s begin…
This article first appeared in The Tel Mora Independent Press, Volume 1, Issue 2 I’ve been thinking on what a friend and colleague had said about putting too much emphasis on Sithis as a non-sentient force and generally being dismissive of any alternative viewpoint. It does indeed hold that in our circles of the…
This article first appeared in The Tel Mora Independent Press, Volume 1, Issue 3 Take a glimpse into the goings-on of any Elder Scrolls group on Facebook, Reddit, or nearly any other social platform, and you’ll likely encounter discussions on the Skyrim Civil War. Some argue that Ulfric was a Thalmor plant and that means…
Simply put, the Original Spirits (or “et’Ada”) who arose from the frictional intercourse between Anu and Padomay, the twin cosmic polarities of Order-Chaos and Stasis-Change, can be divided between those who participated in the creation of Mundus and those who refused. In little understood processes of self-reflection, Anu and Padomay birthed their own souls: Anuiel…
This article first appeared in The Tel Mora Independent Press, Volume 1, Issue 1 I started playing D&D over 30 years ago. Yes, I’m old. The thing that attracted me to D&D was that it was fun. Who doesn’t love the idea of running around a medieval (magical!) world fighting dragons, wooing maidens (or young…
On the Daedra Lords: The Wishmaster By Syndro Drelke, 2E 582 In comparison to the other Lords of Oblivion, Clavicus Vile stood out to me in a way. His cocky and boastful attitude seemed to concordant his spheres of mockery and oath-breaking. His followers tend to mimic his narcissistic persona, while keeping to themselves within…
The theories presented in this document rely heavily upon concepts that are often the source of controversy within the Elder Scrolls Lore community. The ideas I discuss accept out-of-game (OOG) sources, such as Michael Kirkbride’s C0DA and MareloRyan’s “A Model of the Godhead and its Contents.” I highly recommend reading both – some of the…