The Elder Scrolls Wiki:Style and Formatting/Locations

All locations in The Elder Scrolls universe deserve their own individual article. Sublocations of an article should be added to the mother-article, with a redirect linking back to it. Exceptions to this rule occur when the sublocation, alone, contains substantial information that would otherwise burden the parent article. In this case, create the sublocation as its own article and link to it, under the ==Sublocations== header using the template {{main}} and giving a very brief description of the sublocation.

On TESWiki, location articles are typically split by game, with a disambiguation page connecting them (often a lore-disambig in the case of locations). For example, Whiterun (Arena) contains game-focused information about the city of Whiterun in The Elder Scrolls: Arena, and Whiterun (Skyrim) does the same for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The suffix-free Whiterun page contains lore-focused information providing a broader description of the city to readers. Some lore/history can be placed on game-focused articles if deemed appropriate, but it should be supplementary to the game content.

Key things to consider

• Sublocations should have sub-headers under the main-location or "mother-location" in which they appear. Sublocations which require a deeper expansion can be made into individual articles. For example, Imperial City is a vast location, but its districts, Imperial City, Talos Plaza District or Imperial City, Market District potentially could have more written about them and should split into separate articles. Additionally, some locations will not require a Sublocations header, therefore, it should be used when it is needed.
• Dungeon walkthroughs should only be included on location articles if the location does not appear in a quest. Otherwise, the walkthrough should ONLY appear on the article pertaining to that quest. For example, Mzulft appears in the quest "Revealing the Unseen." A walkthrough of the dungeon should be focused on the quest page and not the location page, to avoid clutter and redundancy of information. Additionally, a brief description of the quest may be written under a ==Quests== header, with the quest name linked to that section.
• Never use bold font on subheaders.
• Article layouts vary greatly depending on the location. For example, cities and mines receive different, but essentially similar, designs.
• Never use "descriptions" to offer an overview for an article. This information belongs in the Lead. Likewise, "Notes" never has and never will be an acceptable header. Instead of using "Notes" consider grouping together similar information and moving it to a more meaningful header.
• Long lists in the infobox should use the <small> tag in the following format: <small>Name 1<br />Name 2<br />Name 3<br />Name 4<br />Name 5</small>. For lists that cannot be expressed succinctly in the infobox, link to the relevant header with a pipe link titled "See list" or "See below" for listing characters and "See IDs" for listing IDs.

Templates

Infoboxes

Game specific templates

General location templates are listed here. For a full list of infobox templates for locations, see Category:Infobox Templates. If a location appears in multiple games, consider setting up a disambiguation at the location's name and separate them based on game. Otherwise, use the infobox which reflects the location's most recent appearance. Saarthal, for example, appears in both The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Since Skyrim was published most recent, the article about Saarthal should use the Skyrim infobox.

• {{ArenaLocations}} – for Arena
• {{DaggerfallLocations}} – for Daggerfall
• {{MorrowindLocations}} – for Morrowind
  • {{BloodmoonLocations}} – for Bloodmoon
  • {{TribunalLocations}} – for Tribunal
• {{OblivionLocations}} – for Oblivion
  • {{ShiveringIslesLocations}} – for Shivering Isles
• {{SkyrimLocations}} – for Skyrim
  • {{DawnguardLocations}} – for Dawnguard
  • {{DragonbornLocations}} – for Dragonborn
• {{OnlineLocations}} – for Online
• {{LoreLocations}} – for cities without game-specific infoboxes

Navigation templates

• {{OblivionLocationsNav}}
• {{Skyrim LocationsNav}}

Article layout

General

General layouts contain these headers and infoboxes:

{{SkyrimLocations
|image        = 
|map          = 
|hold         = 
|location     = 
|type         = 
|sublocations = 
|quests       = 
|characters   = 
|enemies      = 
|LocationID   = 
}}
<!--Lead description-->

==History==
Detail any historical events which occur outside of gameplay here. Make sure to cite the sources for all information added here. This includes, but is not limited to, in-game books or dialogue.

==Sublocations==
If there are any sublocations within the main place a brief description including a link to that page if it exists. For an example see: Gloomreach. This can be substituted for ==Architectural design==.

===Eastern tower===
If there are multiple sublocations, list them under the "sublocation" header using three = signs on either side of the word. From there, list any relevant information about these sublocations, such as design, layout, entrances, exits. If the area is locked, give the lock level or the location of the key. Below are examples of names that might be meaningful or appropriate as subheaders.

===Dwarven Cathedral===
*Notice that proper nouns are always capitalized in the header name. While, as in the example below, all words not considered a proper noun or the first word in the sentence, should be lowercase.

<!--Use the following sections when appropriate-->
==Interactions==
Use the "Interactions" header to describe non-quest related interactions at the location such as chopping wood to sell, or picking crops to sell at a farm.

==Quests==
*[[Quest name]] – If a quest takes place here, write it out under a "Quests" header. Write a brief summary of the quest and try not to divulge spoilers. Never use "you" or "I" anywhere on the article, especially not here. Instead, shift focus from the reader or the player onto the characters in the game or the items/objects/objectives around which the quest revolves. (Quests should be listed in a bullet/unordered list unless there is a lot of content to explain, in which case a subheader is permitted.)

==Notable items==
*This section is for special items that are static in the dungeon. This means that these items appear 100% of the time.
*All locations have various food, armor, weapons, etc. that are not special and do not need to be listed.
*Good items to list here are quest items, books and notes, unique weapons, and hidden items.

==Enemies==
*This section should be reserved for special enemies encounter that may require special tactics.-->

<!--Other meaningful headers when appropriate-->
==Facilities== 
<!--For work-related interaction objects such as the Cooking Pot, Alchemy Lab, Arcane Enchanter, Forge, etc...-->

==Services==
<!--For a list of merchants, enchanters, innkeepers, etc. and brief details on what they offer-->

==Gallery==
<gallery>
ImageName.jpg|Description of the image.
</gallery>
*A gallery should be used to display areas of the location that did not fit inline with the text. Limit the use of a gallery whenever possible. As per the media policy, images must not contain the UI/HUD unless the purpose of the given image is to illustrate the UI itself.

==Trivia==
*Use this sparingly, and only for documented or widely believed cultural references. Just because a location looks like a cave in the Lord of the Rings does not mean that it is.

==Bugs==
{{Bugs}}
*Only use this section for bugs that directly relate to the location. If the bug relates to a quest that takes place at the location, move it to the quest page instead. As with all areas of the article, never use "you" or "I" here.
*{{PC}}{{XBOX}}{{PS3}} Do not forget to use the game-name templates to help readers know which games the bugs are confirmed to appear in. Only list confirmed bugs on the article. If something is "unconfirmed" immediately remove it.
**{{PC|Fix}}: List a solution to a bug using the following format. Make sure to indicate which system the fix works on.

==Appearances==
*{{Morrowind}}
*{{Oblivion}}
*{{Skyrim}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

This section is not for "trivia" or "cultural references." Sources cited in the article body, using the <ref> and </ref> tags automatically display here, if properly formatted.

[[Category:Categories go here]] – Since 90% of the location templates include all necessary categories, only the categories for each Hold in Skyrim need to be added to the page.

Provinces

Provinces should follow this basic guideline:

{{Locations}}

'''{{subst:PAGENAME}}''' is a place in on this continent on this planet. Other broad facts should be included in this "lead" paragraph. Remember to never use "Description" to offer overviews of an article's topic. This information belongs here. In this very paragraph. Key things to consider are the races that mainly inhabit this area, how this area is viewed by the other provinces, how large it is, and where it is location geographically in relation to other places.

==Geography==
Give a detailed summary of the flora and natural formations of this area. For example, Black Marsh is a swamp, giving a synopsis of those swamps, how they look, how they formed, and how difficult they are to navigate is also important.

==Politics==
The main political forces of this nation should be explained in detail. Give information on the power structure. It may be necessary to list Economic and Sociological information under this header or under separate headers, like so:

==Economics==

==Sociology== or ==Social dynamic==

==History==
This section should end up being very long and will likely require many sources to be procured. If this section ends up being too lengthy, split it into subsections, using meaningful titles. Ideas for subheaders might include the names of wars, the names of specific political or social movements, or the names of eras (such as Third Era or Fourth Era). Other specific events such as "Oblivion Crisis" or "Dragon Crisis" might also be useful. See the example below:

===Second Era===
Events that occurred here in the Second Era.

===Third Era===
Events that occurred in the Third Era.

===Battle of Brandywine Creek===
Detail the events of the major battle here, including the victors, affects on the populous, environment, or trade, etc.

==Notable locations==
List notable locations of the province here, in bullet formatting
*Like this
*Add this

Or, consider separating the locations into subheaders, giving a brief description of that location and linking to the main article about it. For example:

===Crystal Tower===
{{Main|Crystal Tower}}

The crystal tower serves as the bastion of the Cabal of Illuminated Sorcerers. While its name claims it is made of crystal, it, in fact, is constructed from magically charged pyrite and zaps nearby dragons out of the sky. The tower was the mecca of astrological science during the First Era, until it was destroyed by the Knights of Gallion. The church of Zathrian considered the studies there heretical, the mother goddess, Fortia.

===Misery Swamp of Death and Decay===
{{Main|Misery Swamp of Death and Decay}}

Inhabited only by mad hedge-witches and over-sized lizard, the swamps are avoided by citizens of the province due to its horrible smell, the dangerous fauna therein, and the slew of diseases rampant in its waters. Scholars believe all bad things in the world were born from its thick, black waters.

==See also==
*Anything relevant to the article that has not been linked to before.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

Cities

City articles should be formatted also identically to the province articles, except for one fundamental difference. City articles should contain a "Layout" or "Blueprint" or "Architectural design" header, detailing all the districts of the city, along with photographs to help illustrate those districts. See Whiterun and Riften for examples. City articles may also benefit from a "gallery" at the bottom of the article, above "trivia" and "bugs" and below "facilities" and "services" sections (if they are included at all).

Images

Main article: The Elder Scrolls Wiki:Media

All location articles should contain at least one image of the location from a distant vantage point and a snapshot of the location as it appears on the map. Provinces and cities may deserve more images, to help illustrate the separate districts of the city, its leaders, or other important events. See Summerset Isles and Cheydinhal for examples. Along with map images and over-all images, please include a banner or flag image for that location. Each city has specific banners or royal seals for that location. These images may be inserted in the "politics" section or the "gallery" section of an article.