History of Elsweyr

Mythic and Merethic Foundations

Elsweyr, land of the Khajiit, was shaped by the moons. According to Khajiiti myth, Azurah blessed her children by tying their forms to the phases of Masser and Secunda. Thus the Khajiit emerged in many furstocks — from small, lithe Suthay to powerful Senche-tigers — all bound to the lunar lattice. Before the rise of kingdoms, Khajiit lived in tribal clans scattered across forests, deserts, and savannas. They revered the moons as divine guides and wove lunar cycles into every part of their culture. Early Merethic contact with Ayleids and Altmer left some influence, but Elsweyr remained distinct: a land whose people were literally shaped by the sky.

First Era: Anequina and Pellitine

By the First Era, the Khajiiti tribes had coalesced into two rival kingdoms. Anequina, in the arid north, developed a martial culture akin to the Nords, favoring cavalry, desert survival, and warrior-pride. Pellitine, in the fertile south, grew into a kingdom of merchants, farmers, and aristocrats, flourishing on trade along the Topal Bay. The two kingdoms clashed constantly, raiding across borders and vying for supremacy. Their rivalries defined Elsweyr’s early history, ensuring that no unified state emerged. This division made them vulnerable to outside powers, though the sweltering deserts and thick jungles discouraged lasting occupation.

The Tiber Wars and Imperial Conquest

In the Second Era, Anequina and Pellitine were weakened by feuds and famine. When Tiber Septim marched to conquer Tamriel, Elsweyr fell quickly into Imperial hands. The Khajiit were incorporated into the Empire by treaty rather than annihilation, with their lands reorganized into provinces loyal to the Ruby Throne. The Empire exploited Elsweyr’s fertile plains and rich trade routes but allowed local traditions, particularly lunar worship, to continue. Khajiit warriors served with distinction in the Imperial Legions, famed for their agility and adaptability. Yet the kingdoms’ rivalry persisted under Imperial oversight, threatening the illusion of unity.

Second Era: The Mane and Unification

Amid the chaos of the Interregnum, the Khajiit developed a unique form of leadership: the Mane. Chosen by divine sign, the Mane was a single spiritual and political leader whose body carried the burdens of all Khajiit, symbolically uniting them. Manes were rare, and their reigns brief, but under them Elsweyr could rally. During the Three Banners War in 2E 582, the Khajiit allied with the Altmer and Bosmer in the Aldmeri Dominion, hoping to stabilize their land and resist Imperial and Nordic encroachment. Though the alliance was pragmatic, it reflected Elsweyr’s long tendency to seek survival through partnership rather than domination.

The Knahaten Flu

In 2E 560, the Knahaten Flu swept across Tamriel, devastating Elsweyr more than most provinces. Khajiit died in staggering numbers, their cities emptied, their villages abandoned. The flu reinforced suspicions that Argonians, immune to the disease, had been its source — though no proof was ever found. Entire dynasties collapsed, and tribal structures shifted overnight as survivors reorganized around whoever could lead. The disaster left scars in memory and demography, reminding the Khajiit that survival depended on flexibility and divine favor.

Moon Sugar and Skooma

Elsweyr’s greatest resource was moon sugar, harvested from the cane fields of its southern coasts. To Khajiit, moon sugar was sacred, tied to the moons and woven into ritual, food, and alchemy. But to outsiders, it became a commodity, refined into skooma and exported illegally across Tamriel. This trade enriched some clans and ruined others, feeding Imperial prejudice against Khajiit as addicts and smugglers. In truth, moon sugar defined Elsweyr’s economy as much as faith, making the province simultaneously prosperous and stigmatized.

Third Era: Fragmentation and Strain

Under the Septim Dynasty, Elsweyr remained part of the Empire but never fully stable. The rivalry between Anequina and Pellitine persisted, occasionally erupting into border wars. The Imperial governors tolerated corruption among Khajiiti nobility as long as taxes and legions were provided. Moon sugar cultivation and the skooma trade flourished, enriching some clans while spreading addiction across others. By the late Third Era, Imperial neglect deepened instability. Though Khajiit soldiers fought in Imperial wars, their homeland remained fractured, its prosperity undermined by factionalism and smuggling.

Anequina and Pellitine Rivalry

The tension between Anequina and Pellitine never fully ended, even when nominally unified. Northern Khajiit of Anequina saw themselves as warriors and desert survivalists, proud of their martial heritage. Southern Khajiit of Pellitine prided themselves on culture, diplomacy, and trade, dismissing their northern kin as coarse. These stereotypes colored Khajiiti politics for millennia, ensuring that every attempt at unity was precarious. The Thalmor exploited these divisions, presenting themselves as impartial mediators who brought order where Khajiiti pride had failed.

The Tiber Wars and Khajiiti Service

When Tiber Septim conquered Elsweyr, Khajiiti soldiers entered the Imperial Legions in great numbers. Their speed and agility made them valued scouts and skirmishers. In later generations, Khajiit legions fought in wars far from their homeland, earning respect for their discipline and ferocity. Yet this service also deepened dependency on the Empire, binding Elsweyr’s prosperity to Cyrodiil’s fortunes. When the Empire weakened in the Fourth Era, Khajiit loyalty wavered, preparing the ground for the Dominion’s rise.

Fourth Era: The Void Nights

Elsweyr’s destiny changed in 4E 98 with the Void Nights. For two full years, Masser and Secunda vanished from the sky. With the moons gone, Khajiiti society collapsed. The furstocks could not be born properly, and the people fell into spiritual despair. The Thalmor of Summerset seized the moment, claiming to have restored the moons when they returned. Grateful and desperate, the Khajiit turned to the Aldmeri Dominion, elevating the Thalmor as saviors. Elsweyr soon seceded from the Empire, with Anequina and Pellitine merged into a single state under Dominion protection. For the first time in history, Elsweyr was unified — but at the cost of sovereignty.

Thalmor Dominion Rule

Under the Thalmor, Elsweyr became a client state of the Dominion. Thalmor envoys enforced loyalty, curbed Imperial influence, and ensured Khajiit soldiers and resources served Elven war aims. Temples taught reverence for the Dominion, and Thalmor propaganda claimed the moons’ restoration as divine proof of their power. Many Khajiit accepted their rule, grateful for the return of stability. Others grumbled in secret, resenting foreign interference. Still, by the early Fourth Era, Elsweyr stood firmly in the Dominion’s camp, its people bound to Elves by faith, politics, and necessity.

Resistance to the Thalmor

Though the Dominion claimed Elsweyr willingly, not all Khajiit embraced their rule. Some clans resented foreign interference, especially in the temples of Jone and Jode, where Thalmor agents imposed new doctrine. Smuggling rings became channels for resistance, moving weapons and contraband beyond Thalmor eyes. In the deserts of Anequina, small rebellions flared, though they were swiftly crushed. These undercurrents of resistance proved that Elsweyr’s alliance with the Dominion was never total, and that Khajiiti independence remained a living dream beneath the surface.

Elsweyr in the Fourth Era Balance

By 4E 201, Elsweyr stood as a Dominion province, unified for the first time in history but not truly free. Its warriors marched under Thalmor banners, its moons bound to foreign propaganda, and its economy tied to moon sugar exports controlled by Elven overseers. Yet Khajiiti adaptability endured. Merchants thrived, caravans crossed borders despite restrictions, and smugglers carried Elsweyr’s goods into Skyrim and Cyrodiil. The Khajiit, ever shaped by change, adjusted once more — waiting for the day when the moons might guide them to freedom beyond the Dominion’s grasp.

Legacy up to 4E 201

By 4E 201, Elsweyr’s long history of division had ended in an uneasy unity under Thalmor rule. The moons once again guided Khajiiti life, but their supposed restoration left the Dominion entwined with every temple and household. The old kingdoms of Anequina and Pellitine still lived in memory, yet their rivalry had been absorbed into a larger struggle between Empire and Dominion. Elsweyr’s history is one of survival through adaptation: a land of tribes and moons, merchants and warriors, whose fate was always tied to the heavens. In the Fourth Era, that fate was bent to serve the Thalmor — but the Khajiit, shaped by constant change, endured as they always had.