User blog comment:Bjorn Yngol/Information Needed/@comment-5558140-20130801061235

the basics i suppose could be separated into a few chronological catagories, which i suppose could go something like this:

1. The Creation Myth- the generally accepted theory of how the TES universe on tamriel came to be established. the stories vary depending on which culture you hear it from.

2. Races and Cultures- there are 10 playable races, but there are quite a few more that are only ever mentioned, like the Akaviri or the Dwemer, all of whom have long and storied history. the others include nord, imperial, breton, redguard, dark elf, high elf, wood elf, orc, khajit, and argonian. the first 4 are considered the races of men ( akaviri are also men) the 3 elves and to some extent even the orcs, are the races of mer, and kahjit and argonian are the beast races that resemble feline and reptile, respectively. each race have their own unique culture and there own places on the continent of tamriel.

3. Geography- the continent of tamriel is not the only continent in the world, but is considerd the main continent and is where all of the games take place. it is separated into provinces. the other continents not mentioned include Atmora and Akavir, and there are islands not part of the main continent of tamriel such as the summerset isles and solthsthiem.

4. Deities- basically, the gods and devils of the TES universe. while the dieties also vary depending on race and culture, the main ones are the daedra and aedra. these also tie into the creation myth, but over all, the aedra are considered the good gods and the daedra are the bad gods, but these are largely subjective terms, and it really depends on who your asking.

5. History- the history of the TES universe is extensive, albeit sometimes a bit vague, but is separated into era's, starting with the creation of nirn (nirn being the term for the physical world) and moving onward. era's weren't the start of all the recorded history as many events take place before era's are established, but there are currently 4, and each one does not technically have a set amount of time before the next one begins, but normally the end of each era (or beginning) is marked by some kind of major event. in-game era's are abrieviated, for example 4E 234, the 234th year of the 4th era. there are also many important historic figures that helped to shape history, such as Tiber Septim or St.Alessia.

hope that was brief enough for you, if you want to know more about each catagory then this wiki or even UESP is a great place to look. overall, TES is a magical world, wonderful and terrible at the same time.