History

The Daggerfall Covenant occupies the western provinces of Tamriel: High

Rock, home of the Bretons, and Hammerfell, home of the Redguards. Orsimer,

the city-state homeland of the Orcs, lies within the borders of High Rock,

and the Orcs have also pledged themselves to this alliance.

The three peoples of the Daggerfall Covenant have a long history of

conflict with one another, but recent events have forced them to put these

differences aside. The Imperials in Cyrodiil have severed a number of main

trade routes, upon which the economies of the western provinces heavily

rely, and this action has created poverty and suffering.

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High King Emeric, a Breton merchant-lord from Wayrest, has proven to be a

shrewd diplomat. He has united the brawling provinces into one fearsome

force which will prove frighteningly effective against the human-hating

tyrants of the Aldmeri Dominion and the low-life berserkers of the

Ebonheart Pact. Emeric rose up through the ranks in High Rock, took a

Redguard bride and signed a war treaty with the Orcs, forging a strong

union based on diplomacy.

The Bretons are the obvious "brains" of this faction, skilled in magic

and other thinky-brain stuff. Both the Redguards and the Orcs come from

strong warrior cultures, and these people provide loads of "brawn."

Goals

Emeric's goal is to re-establish the trade routes that were the west's

main source of income. His goal is not one of great glory, but prosperity

and equity. Though the High King is renowned for his skills with

diplomacy, he's not all long, boring talks and signing papers - one of his

mandates is to leave a few enemy survivors after each battle so that they

can spread the word of just how bloody, brutal and effective the

Daggerfall Covenant's armies are.

Races

Bretons

History & Lore

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251681">During the First

Era, the ancient Aldmer elves mingled with the people of other races, and

some of that mingling produced half-elven offspring. It is debatable if

this came about from Aldmer slave owners impregnating their human female

slaves, or if it was some kind of Aldmeri experiment attempting to create

a super-race of powerful hybrids, or if it was simply a case of people

following their errant hearts. Regardless, over time these offspring

became a separate people with their own distinct culture, known as the

Bretons.

The Breton homeland is High Rock, a rugged, fertile land in the

northwesternmost corner of Tamriel. It is the only mainland province that

does not share a border with Cyrodiil - Skyrim lies to the east, and

Hammerfell to the south. The Bretons have a complex social structure among

their ruling nobility which can be confusing to outsiders, and the

nobility puts the "feud" in "feudal." High King Emeric, originally a

merchant lord who ascended to the position of High King through clever

political maneuvering and heroic diplomacy, seems to have put a temporary

kibosh on Game of Thrones-like tomfoolery to aid in the war effort.

Outside of High Rock, Bretons are chiefly known for their innate ability

with magic. The Elven blood of their ancestry gives them a strong command

over arcane forces, nearly rivaling that of the High Elves. Though they

are not quite as adept with magic as the High Elves, neither are they as

weak against magical attack - their human side gives them a hardiness

against magic.

Characteristics

Historically, Bretons have been portrayed as dark-haired and

pale-skinned. In Arena, they are described as a tall people (nearly every

race was described as "tall" in Arena), but from Morrowind onwards, they

have been the shortest humans. This makes them about average height across

all the races.

Bretons have always been the race of choice for players wanting a human

magic-user. They generally start with significant bonuses to a handful of

magical skills, and their magic resistance and Dragonskin ability

(Morrowind onwards) allows them to shrug off damage from a variety of

sources, making them hardier in combat than most elves. With their bonuses

to the Restoration school of magic, they make excellent healers, but they

also work quite well as Battlemages.

Appearances in Previous Games

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Arena

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Daggerfall

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Morrowind

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Oblivion

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Skyrim















Redguards

History & Lore

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251682">The dark-skinned

desert warriors of Hammerfell, known as the Redguards, are a proud and

honorable people. They are descended from different stock than the

Bretons, Imperials and Nords, originating in the land of Yokuda, a cluster

of large islands to the west of Tamriel which was destroyed by some

unknown catastrophe during the First Era. The Redguards still carry on

Yokudan traditions - they worship different gods than most other races in

Tamriel, and their architecture, clothing and tribal structure are

foreign.

Redguard culture is shaped by the harsh, arid conditions of the Alik'r

Desert - youths must make a trek through the wastelands, a test of their

endurance and discipline, as a rite of passage. Their original homeland of

Yokuda was even more arid and unforgiving than Hammerfell, and the

original Redguard settlers had no problem adapting to the comparatively

lush new lands and driving the existing Imperial, Nord and Breton settlers

out by force of arms. Redguards train as warriors from birth, pitting

themselves against their harsh environment and developing into fierce,

capable swordsmen. The other races call them "natural athletes," and

Redguards pride themselves in excelling at physical challenges.

They have little love of magic or magic-users, believing them wicked and

weak, which makes them rather odd allies of the Bretons. Their pride and

battle-prowess also brings them into natural contention with the Orcs, who

also come from a fiercely-proud warrior culture.



Characteristics

Redguards are only slightly taller than Bretons, and are typically more

slender. They have dark skin, ranging in tone from nearly-black to light

brown, and typically dark, wiry hair.

Redguards have always had bonuses to melee combat skills, particularly

with one-handed swords and shields, and are the race of choice for players

wanting a strong "sword-and-board" character right out of the box. They

also have strong resistance to poisons and diseases - though this was

restricted to poisons only in Skyrim. Since Morrowind, Redguards have had

the Adrenaline Rush power, which significantly boosts combat abilities for

a short time. In Morrowind and Oblivion, the Adrenaline Rush ability gave

a big boost to physical stats (Strength, Agility, Speed, Endurance,

Health) for 60 seconds. In Skyrim, this was changed to a major increase in

Stamina regeneration.

Appearances in Previous Games

alt="Elder Scrolls Online Races - Redguard - Arena" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251691">



Arena

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Daggerfall

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Morrowind

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Oblivion

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Skyrim















Orcs (Orsimer)

History & Lore

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251683">Despite their

beastly, barbaric appearance and temperament, Orcs - also known as

Orsimer, or "Pariah Folk" - are actually Elves. The original Orcs were

followers of the Aedra, Trinimac, who tried to stop the ancient Chimer

people (the ancestors of the Dunmer) from following a new prophet into

Morrowind. Trinimac came into conflict with the Daedric Prince Boethiah,

and was defeated and devoured by his rival. Trinimac's remains were

transformed into the Daedric Prince Malacath, and his followers were

transformed also, becoming the green-skinned, tusked Orcs we all know and

love.

Though regarded by many as barbaric savages, the Orsimer are a proud and

more-or-less orderly people. They have harsh laws and are governed by a

strict class system, but they are firm believers in gender equality.

Female Orsimer are afforded mostly all the same rights and opportunities

as males, though there are still a few gender-specific roles. Most

strongholds employ a "wise woman," and most tribal chiefs are males (with

a number of wives).

Being an outcast people, Orcs have no vast province of their own, but

instead occupy the small, independent city-state of Orsinium, located

within the province of High Rock, as well as numerous strongholds

throughout the mountainous regions of Skyrim, High Rock and Hammerfell.

When living in their home strongholds, Orcs have descriptive surnames,

like "Ghorbash the Iron Hand." When they leave their home, they take the

name of the stronghold or province as their surname - e.g. "Ghorbash

gro-Dushnikh."

Orcs are renowned warriors, capable of performing amazing feats of savage

strength when fueled by battle-rage. They are not subtle bladesmen like

the Redguard, but rather rely on their brute strength and their superb

heavy armor. Orcs are outstanding armorsmiths, and Orcish tradition holds

that mothers teach their children the art of smithing from a young age.

Characteristics

Orcs have only been a playable race from Morrowind on. They featured in

Arena and Daggerfall only as (usually hostile) NPCs.

Orsimer look the way orcs always look: green skin, prognathous lower jaw

with jutting canine "tusks," heavily-muscled frames, coarse black hair,

serrated or pointed ears, flat noses and heavy brows. In Oblivion and

Skyrim, they have distinctly different eyes, as well. Morrowind and

Oblivion Orcs were quite green, but Skyrim Orcs had skin tones ranging

from khaki to deep olive. Skyrim Orcs also featured small horns on the

forehead, a feature not present in previous games.

They have bonuses to armorsmithing, and to heavy armor, block and some

weapons. As can be expected, their physical stats are vastly superior to

their mental stats, and they are purpose-built for melee combat. Their

racial ability is Berserk (or Berserker Rage in Skyrim), a brief burst of

super-charged combat abilities. Orcs are typically employed as heavy,

front-line melee warriors, and make excellent tanks.

Appearances in Previous Games