Tamriel

Tamriel is the fictional continent where the events of The Elder Scrolls games take place. It is located on the planet of Nirn, which is the mortal realm of the finite and the partial, as opposed to the immortal realms of the infinite and the absolute. In the Elder Scrolls, Mundus, another name for Nirn, is the Elvish root for the human word "mundane", meaning ordinary. Some, such as the Mythic Dawn however, view Tamriel as an extension of the realm of Oblivion itself.

The name Tamriel is said to mean 'Starry Heart', while, according to Arena, it is also Elvish for 'Dawn's Beauty', however in the Nu-Mantia Intercept Tamriel is 'the starry heart of Dawn's beauty'

History
Recorded Tamrielic history is divided into four distinct eras, the First Era, the Second Era, the Third Era, and the Fourth Era:


 * First Era - The long First Era is mostly marked by the shifting of power from Elves to Men and the birth of some of the most powerful religions in the land. From the heartland of Tamriel, we learn of the struggling human race: from their miserable fate as slaves to finally being able to push out their Altmeri masters from the land. From the northeast part of the continent, the Heart of Lorkhan tempts so many mortals, from the Dwemer to Chimer and eventually Humans. The Divine Heart causes a terrible war, and the extinction of a once great race, the Dwemer.
 * Second Era - The Second Era starts after the Akaviri Potentate assassinates the last of the Cyrodiil line. This is also the era when some of the most powerful factions in Tamriel are born, the Mages' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood being two from among the greatest to arise during this time period. The era finally ends after Tiber Septim, wielding a Dwemer artifact called Numidium, successfully unites the entire Tamrielic landmass once again.
 * Third Era - The Third Era, which some describe as the most glorious era thus far, is the time of the Septim Dynasty. In fact, the long line of Septim Emperors almost reaches an end at several points in the history of this period. Some of the significant events are the War of the Red Diamond, a civil war over the succession, and a long decade of reign by the traitorous Jagar Tharn. Furthermore, this era is marked by the rebirth of Nerevar Indoril, the greatest Chimeri general; as well as the rebirth of Numidium and the second Dragon Break that follows.
 * Fourth Era - In the final days of the Third Era, the emperor, Uriel Septim VII is assassinated at the beginning of the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, along with all his heirs, save one illegitimate son, Martin. In the final fight for Septim's life, the Blades were aided by an escaped prisoner. It was this escaped prisoner who rescued Martin from the siege of Kvatch, this prisoner who again and again stormed Oblivion, and this prisoner who recovered the Amulet of Kings. It was also this prisoner, called Champion of Cyrodiil, Hero of Kvatch, and Savior of Bruma, who witnessed Martin's ultimate self-sacrifice to end the Oblivion Crisis, and with it, the Third Era. 

There are two other Eras previous to the aforementioned four. They are the 'Dawn Era' in which the universe and everything in it came into being, and the 'Merethic Era', otherwise known as the Mythic Era, in which Mer (Elves) first arrived in Tamriel and all manner of mythological occurrences are said to have taken place. These two Eras are commonly considered to be outside of verifiable history, as humanity did not possess a written language to speak of until the end of the Mythic Era. Aldmeri records, on the other hand, date back to the beginning of ME, however these are not open to Imperial scholars.

Government
Tamriel was effectively an Empire, until the end of the Oblivion Crisis, that was ruled by an Emperor of the Septim dynasty. Technically speaking, it was referred to alternately as the Third Empire of Man, the Third Dynasty, or the Seat of Sundered Kings. The centre of the Empire was Cyrodiil, which was the home of both the Emperor and the Elder Council, which serves administrative functions and as an interim government during times of instability. Upon the death of the Emperor, the new Emperor is usually the oldest legitimate child (preferably a son) of the dead Emperor. However, spouses, younger children, siblings and on at least one occasion, an illegitimate child have taken the throne. Below the Emperor is the Elder Council, effectively a Cabinet of sorts. This body rules the Empire in interregnal periods when no heir is to be found. The details of Imperial government below the Elder Council are convoluted and obscure. In addition, each Province has its own government which sees to the affairs of that Province. The Provincial government works parallel to a local Imperial government that seems to handle the Empire's business in that Province, in collusion with the Provincial government. After the death of the last of the Septim Emperors and the disappearance of the last Septim heir, the head of the Elder Council and de facto head of state is Imperial High Chancellor, Grand Battle-Mage Ocato. This role is only practical, however, and may be compared in function to the British Governor-General.

Geography
Tamriel consists of nine provinces, each of these provinces corresponds with their own culture and race, with the exception of High Rock, which houses two distinct species:
 * High Rock, inhabited by Bretons, man/elf hybrids on the human side; also Orcs or Orsimer, aldmeris for 'Pariah Folk': Elves so ruined and corrupted that they are often mistaken as akin to goblins and/or trolls. Orsimer live in the city of Orsinium.
 * Hammerfell, inhabited by Redguards, in the native also Yokudans, enterprising expansionists from the west, commonly mistaken for men, but not in fact related. Once housed a significant Dwemer* population. It was later Orcish territory until the landing of the Yokudans in their Ra'gada, or "Warrior Wave." It is from this wave that the Redguards take their name, and their swift, easy conquest of Hammerfell that earned them their reputation as the best soldiers upon Nirn.
 * Skyrim, inhabited by Nords, hardy men of the north and the only remaining direct and unchanged descendants of the original human 'Nedic' settlers from across the now frozen Sea of Ghosts.
 * Morrowind, inhabited by Dark Elves, or Dunmer, meaning 'accursed folk' in Aldmeris. This region once also housed a large Dwemer population. All that remains are their ruins.
 * Black Marsh, inhabited by Argonians, highly evolved lizard people, who are commonly looked down upon as beastfolk. For this reason, the Argonians were formerly a popular slave race.
 * Elsweyr, inhabited by the Khajiit, cat folk, also commonly looked down upon as savage. The Khajiit were also common slaves.
 * Valenwood, inhabited by Wood Elves, or Bosmer in the Elven, meaning 'tree-sap folk', they are the Elven products of blood mixing with men, like the Bretons. The Bretons are a similar race of hybrids leaning more towards the Man stock-the Bosmer lean more towards the Mer.
 * Summerset Isles, inhabited by High Elves, or Altmer, meaning 'superior (and/or snobbish) folk'.
 * Cyrodiil, the Imperial province, inhabited by the Imperials, or Cyrodiils, a common human race who form the foundational population of the Empire, although the ruling Septim dynasty are thought to be of at least some Nordic blood (which might explain their long history as conquerors and warrior-kings). The Line of Septim is also known to have some Dunmeri ancestry.

Demographics
The main races are the Bretons, Redguards, Argonians, Khajiit, Altmer (High Elves), Orsimer (Orcs), Imperials, Dunmer (Dark Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), and Nords.

All these races are playable in Morrowind and Oblivion. In Arena and Daggerfall, the Orcs weren't playable; in Daggerfall, the Imperials weren't playable, either. In Battlespire, the Argonians and Khajiit weren't playable. Imperials are theoretically playable in Arena, but in some versions, a glitch in the character creation process makes them unavailable. More specifically, one chooses their character's race by selecting the appropriate province on a map. Cyrodiil, for whatever reason, is non-selectable in some versions of Arena. Other, nonplayable races include:


 * The Dwemer (meaning 'deep folk' often misinterpreted as referring to their subterranean habits, should be better understood as 'wise/smart folk'), commonly nicknamed 'Dwarves' due to a dubious myth involving their befriending a race of giants, though not actually short in stature. They used to inhabit all of Tamriel, but were concentrated in Morrowind and Hammerfell. They all disappeared simultaneously during the Battle of Red Mountain, when Lord Nerevar 'Godkiller' led the Chimer* in an attack against the Dwarves to keep them from using Kagrenac's Tools. It is believed that Kagrenac attempted to use the tools in desperate gamble, causing the Dwemer to be removed from all of existence. The Dwemer were trying to use the tools to create a God (called 'Numidium') for themselves. The Chimer saw this as an affront to their gods, for whom they faced ridicule and ostracism; thusly the war. According to Ashlander tradition, Nerevar and Dagoth Ur severed the Dwemer connection to the Heart of Lorkhan at the end of this long war, and all the Dwemer turned to dust. Dagoth Ur later admits that he is not sure why. It may have something to do with the Heart of Lorkhan being what kept the Dwemer semi-immortal (un-aging).


 * The Chimer, meaning 'changed folk' in Aldmeris, were a small cult of High Elves who were led by the prophet Veloth to the promised land of Resdayn, now called Morrowind. Popular legend suggests they were cursed by the Daedra when they ceased worship and turned to worshiping three god-kings known as the Tribunal. The curse, legend says, brought ash coloured skin from light gray to black in hue, red eyes which glow, as well as hair color restricted to black, white, gray and red. Understandably, this was rather horrific a thing to level at the beautiful and aesthetic High Elves, who were very proud of their gold colored skin, hair and eyes. The curse also contained a promise that some day, Nerevar Indoril would return and signal the downfall of the profane Tribunal Temple.  However, Imperial scientists suggest that this is just a myth - and the real cause of the skin and eye color change was because of their change in geography.  It is asserted by Imperial scholars that, while it is a fascinating story, it is more likely that the cause was the active volcano they now live by - the ash has caked into their skin, giving it the dark color, and the agitation of the ash and sandstorms in their eyes is credited with their now red eyes.


 * The Ayleid, an Elven race who were the original rulers of Cyrodiil and are now apparently extinct. Their ruins can be found scattered across Cyrodiil, and are a lucrative venture for any skilled and brave enough to venture into one and return with treasures. Lesser Welkynd Stones and Varla Stones, which can be found in most such ruins, are 50 and 1000 gold a piece, respectively. There were once also Greater Welkynd Stones, but these have all been plundered and consumed. However, Ayleid sites are littered with ingenious and deadly traps, and have often become the hiding place of gangs of Necromancers, Conjurers, bandits, or other outlaws, or of tribes of goblins, or even, on occasion, vampire clans.


 * The Dremora are also regarded, in-game, as a separate race-one can initiate dialogue with some Dremora, and each slain Dremora adds one to your "people killed" tally in Oblivion. Mods exist to toggle the Dremora's "playable" status, making them available at character creation.

Culture

 * Main article is Pantheons of Tamriel

Other continents
Although Tamriel is the most well-known and important place in the world, it isn't the only one. Far to the north of Tamriel lies Atmora, from which the Nords came to conquer Tamriel. Atmora, in the Elvish language, means 'Elder Wood'.

To the West of Tamriel lies the sunken continent of Yokuda, from which the people that are now called the Redguards came to take over Hammerfell.

To the East of Tamriel lies the continent of Akavir, which means 'Dragon Land'. Akavir is home to the Akaviri as well as various beast races, including the Tsaesci. There are four major nations of Akavir: Kamal, Tsaesci, Tang Mo, and Ka Po' Tun. Akavir has launched multiple invasions of Tamriel. All have failed. However, a line of Tsaesci did rule Tamriel for some time.

Below Summerset Isle, just to the south of Tamriel, lies Pyandonea, the tropical home of the Maormer or Tropical Elves.

To the distant south of Tamriel supposedly lies the Elven homeland of Aldmeris, or Ehlnofey, which was devastated in ancient times (hence the early migration of Elves to other continents, namely Tamriel).

The Coral Kingdoms of Thras, an archipelago southwest of Tamriel, is the homeland of the sload, a conservative amphibious sluglike race. The Thrassian Plague devastated Tamriel around 1E2200, after which Tamrielic united navy ravaged and sank Thras into the sea. It has since recovered.