How Skyrim's Races Build On The Narrative Of Fourth Era Tamriel

If you're a gamer and lover of fantasy lore (and possibly just a little bit sad) like me, then I suspect that The Elder Scrolls mythology scratches a certain itch for you. Granted, it doesn't ever quite reach the dizzying heights of Tolkien-level storytelling, but I do still rank it as some of the best folklore-esque chronicling available in modern times.

I think fondly of it due mainly to its overt richness, complexity, and contradictory nature. Once pieced together by the player, it is revealed to them that Tamriel truly is a world that lives and breathes. However, it is my final point, in particular — the “contradictory nature” — that interests me the most of all because the errors (manufactured or not) give it that life; the cherry on top of the cake, as it were.

One such instance is with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and it is something encountered immediately. It is a tiny detail, once character creation has been completed, which only the series’ most dedicated fans are sure to acknowledge. That is that the racial bonuses have been oddly distributed when compared to previous instalments of the beloved franchise.

Yes. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, I know. But we fans like to get right down into the nitty-gritty…

Honestly, this little thought of mine has niggled away at me over the years, and each time I revisit The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim it tends to resurface. However, GameGrin has foolishly given me a platform to voice my niche ponderings, so enjoy.

At first, I thought the race-based stat allocations were somewhat dumb. Like, why in the hell do the Imperials not have any increases to Speech? They are the series' quintessential smooth talkers, after all. And why do the Redguards now have magical capabilities? They have always staunchly embodied the sword and board warrior archetype.

Now, I can appreciate that some of these changes are purely for gameplay purposes. The Nords, for example, now have a more defined barbarian-style setup, and I think that this is to give them more of a distinctive identity when compared to, say, Orcs, which favour strong defences over speedy aggression. This also separates them from Redguards, who can now unleash some magic to aid their martial prowess. Another insignificant change includes the feline Khajiit, who now have “Sneak” as their primary skill. But this is presumably because the “Acrobatics” and “Hand-to-Hand” skills are defunct and no longer present in the series.

However, I do not think that it just ends at gameplay either, and I'm sure that there is more to this shaking up of identity amongst the races than meets the eye. Actually, I think that these stat bonuses aim to subtly highlight the current states of the various peoples of Tamriel.

If we go back to the Imperials, for example, I mentioned that they no longer possess their silver tongues. However, instead, they now favour “Restoration” — a magic skill! With only a little, this really says a lot about the current population of Imperials. In the Fourth Era (the events of Skyrim), they are no longer the de facto big dogs who are able to simply strong-arm the rest of Tamriel. The Imperials are now the oppressed and remain under the thumb of the land's new High Elven rulers: the Thalmor. Gone are the days of politics and trade — when a sharp word could cut an enemy as well as any sword — and now the Imperials must adapt or die in this Elven-dominated world. To top it off, this newfound appreciation for healing magic shows that the race is in a state of healing itself; it is licking its wounds and preparing to fight another day.

Speaking of the High Elves, they now favour “Illusion” as their main stat, which is super interesting when scrutinised. So, the High Elves won the war, and their prize is to rule over Tamriel. However, their grip on the lands is fragile, and their society is on the brink of collapse (which can be learned in-game). The Thalmor are very aware that if a large-scale rebellion were to take place, they would not be in any position to squash it, leaving their all bark and no bite empire to crumble then and there. The High Elves must, at least for now, rule through trickery and fear, and as such, they have become masters of Illusion.

It's this same war that I believe gave the Redguards their newfound appreciation for magic, too. During it, they seceded from the Imperial Empire and refused to officially surrender along with them. Instead, the men and women of Hammerfell defended the sandy dunes of their homeland from the Elves, eventually organising a truce with their attackers instead. The magic-inclined High Elves found out rather quickly that they simply could not topple a united Hammerfell because the region's clever native warriors fought fire with fire (magic with magic), and thus, an appreciation for sword and sorcery intertwined was born.

Argonians, on the other hand, now have “Alteration” and “Restoration” as tagged magic skills, and this is interesting because of how these ability trees function in this edition of the series. Basically, they are both defensive magics, but Argonians did not use to have them. Alteration strengthens the wielder with shield-like spells and can keep attackers subdued with paralysis, while Restoration is used (as previously mentioned) to heal. Perhaps, the lizard folk of Black Marsh used these magics, combined with their mastery of all things sneaky, to combat the daedra during the Oblivion Crisis and their former Dark Elf slave masters. It is true that following the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, these once docile swamp-dwellers rose up en masse and proved themselves as strong and versatile warriors.

As you can see, if you squint at those Fourth Era racial traits, you can draw some neat lore explanations from them. Other areas of the many games often manage to present the lore more clearly, but it is in these cracks that fresh discussions can arise. Not to mention, it shows just how intricate the lore really is, considering the fact that it can be found snuggled away in unassuming places.

Well, that really was my two cents on it. If you know of any other interesting racial tidbits, shout them out in the comments and keep the lore-based chit-chat alive.