Written by The White Guar
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…
My master thrust me down on my knees before a strange device. His swollen form orbited so the instrument lay between him and me. “Play.” I took a hesitant estimation of my surroundings. The hall was long and dimly lit. The walls might be considered bare to some, but their texture made decoration irrelevant. Coarse,…
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…
It took three days for Ma’Kir to get to the Elsweyr-Valenwood border. Anyone else might have booked passage from Senchal to Torval by sea, and then traveled the short distance to the border from there, but Ma’Kir didn’t like the open water. It made his fur stand up at funny angles. The three days it…
In the Pelletine region of Elsweyr, it is common practice to burn the dead. The Khajiit have little mind for the remains of the deceased, as the soul has fled, and the shell remains to take up space. Instead, the bodies of the departed are returned to the dust, as if to mimic the dust…
Senchal had become a popular trading post with foreigners, particularly Imperial traders en route to or from the Imperial City. The staunch Argonians often came over Topal Bay in their Black Marsh skiffs to trade fresh game, botanical reagents, and fresh swamp vegetables for spices, linens, and nearly anything else the Tree Sap Folk could…
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…
The Denial came for the Men. And the Men died.Then the Denial came for the glittering mirrors set in Summer. Their crystaline spindles shattered and fell.Then Denial came for the Masters of Song and Sap and Green. They resisted for a time, until they, too, were snuffed out.The Horizon Bitch, the Whore of Bladesheath, Peddler…
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…
Letter from the Editor: “Greetings, and three blessings! In this volume, the staff of The Tel Mora Independent Press has gathered the collective insight of countless Elder Scrolls sources to bring you a guide that tackles the most fundamental information of the Aurbis. Think of this as a Frequently Asked Questions, chock-full of information and…
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…
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…
Ĉi tiu trovas kun pli por sohkrni. So ahkkspahkrimahkntauw pri Stros M’Kai ahkstis hahklpahkma, kaj tamahkn nahk sufiĉahk ampsohkksaj. So barbauw so Kornaj Infano nur iras ĝis nun. Ĉi tiu tahkmpo intahkr so malmultaj kvadratauw ahkn Hammahkrfahkll finis kahklkajn jarojn. So Rahkĝo Worms pahkrdis intahkrahkson ahkn so Insulo, ĉar pli abundaj ocahkanauw atahkndas intahkrnahk. N’Gasta…
This piece was first published in The Imperial Library’s 20th Anniversary Fan Fiction contest When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at the canopy of my four-poster bed. I stretched, mouth agape in yawning, and sat up. In the dim light of the dawn, ribbons of sunlight cutting through the dust in the air,…
The subterranean hall was dark, in stark contrast to the light cast on the mosaic floor by the doorway, punctuated by the elongated shadow of a bent and spindly figure. A vague draft whispered through the angular pillars, and a lone column of light crashed upon a titanic marble throne. A shaggy brown dog sat…
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…
The tokbox was sputtering news from the warfront; snippets of talk divided by static whistles and humming. But I wasn’t listening to it. I had had my fill of war, and this country was splitting itself apart. Our society was overcome by waves of violence, and listening or not listening to the tokbox wasn’t going…
I am a Paladin. We live to serve the Patriarch, Auri-El, and look ever towards his piercing light at the Dawn and the Dusk, from whence we came and whereto our destinies lead. I have spent many seasons contemplating this one simple idea. Meditating. Reflecting. Considering the Memory. Memory. Reflection. But which facet of Memory,…
A Critical Analysis and Rebuttal of Notes of Racial Phylogeny Professor Illius Gloria Imperial University Notes on Racial Phylogeny and Biology: Seventh Edition (Imperial University, 3E407) is often touted as the foremost authority on the interfertility of the races of Nirn, postulating that, “generally the offspring bear the racial traits of the mother.” While I…
An Excerpt from “The Misunderstandings of the Sload” Professor Troupe-Naife, Imperial Arcane University To the Far West lies the alien and distant archipelago of Thras, the Coral Kingdom of the Sload, a “menacing” and “horrific” land, where “naught but nightmares dwell.” But the Sload—are they truly the things that go bump in the night? Are…
[This text was taken from the possession of a madman claiming to have returned from “The Sclerotic Athenaeum.” This one believes the poor fool hit the sugar-water a tad too hard for one as tail-less as he. Nonetheless, the scholarly whiskers in this one’s jaw tingle at the possibility that he came from Hermaeus Mora’s…
This work is intended for use with Dungeons and Dragons v3.5. Download [52 MB]
“Deal.” I shook the Prince’s hand. He beamed at me, his other hand clutching a comically large tankard of what I assumed to be ale. When I released my grasp, I found myself holding a similar (albeit smaller) tankard with a sweet-smelling liquid within. I drank. I drank deep. The dew that flowed was fluid…
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…
In an ancient manor of present-day Glenumbra, there was a beautiful maiden beset on all sides by countless suitors. Lady Trame d’Mall was of noble and gentle stock, rumored to be the heir to a vast and deep fortune. Many a lad travelled to her family chateau in search of love, fortune, or both, to…
