Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-68.2.60.93-20140102053959/@comment-84.196.149.149-20150805122219

There exists a small but important qualifier as far as "race", or more accurately, bloodline, is concerned: You have to be a descendant of the Wandering Ehlnofey who fought at Shor's side against the Aldmeri Pantheon (specifically, Auri-El and Trinimac) at the end of the Dawn Era. Otherwise, Shor's Covenant won't apply to you (or more specifically, to your soul).

The direct descendants of these Wandering Ehlnofey, who continued to stand at Shor's side even when Trinimac tore Shor's heart out and Auri-El flung it into the ocean with his bow, were the Atmorans. So, we know for certain that literally all Atmorans were able to gain entry to Sovngarde upon their death - on the important condition that they first passed a Test of Courage by getting themselves killed in battle, or by dying while fighting for what they believed in. (Much like Shor himself, which is undoubtedly not a coincidence.)

Since some of the Atmorans (particularly Ysgramor & his Five Hundred Companions) intermarried with the Nedic human tribes across northern and central Tamriel after they conquered Skyrim, and thus gave rise to the Nords, the Bretons and the Imperials through interbreeding, we may assume with some confidence that these three "races" of Men can also claim a direct descent, through father's side, to these Wandering Ehlnofey with whom Shor made his Covenant.

This strongly suggests that those of Nord, Breton and Imperial extraction ought to be able to gain entry into Sovngarde upon death - again on the all-important condition that they pass the Test of Courage by showing unyielding bravery or defiance to the world in their final moments in Shor's image. As Ysgramor himself succinctly put it in "A Dream of Sovngarde", the "sons of the North" are judged not by how they lived, but by how they died.

Other groups, such as Redguards or the Akaviri are much less certain. It is likely, however, that for example the "mixed" child of Rustleif and Seren (the Nord husband, Redguard wife blacksmith couple in Dawnstar) can also qualify for entry into Sovngarde upon death, due to the direct ancestral link that exists between him/her and Shor's chosen Wandering Ehlnofey through Rustleif's bloodline. (I.e.: Mixed Nord-Redguard to Nord to Atmoran to Shor's chosen Wandering Ehlnofey - A direct, unbroken bloodline to which the Covenant will still apply.)