The Nedes

Culture

The Nedes were the early humans of Tamriel, the forebears of nearly every modern human race. Before Nords, Imperials, or Bretons, the Nedes roamed the continent as tribes of hunters, herders, and warriors. Their culture was diverse, fragmented across regions, but bound by shared emphasis on survival, ancestry, and reverence for natural and celestial forces.

Nedic society was primarily tribal, organized around clans led by chieftains, priests, or warlords. Authority came from strength, wisdom, or divine mandate, depending on the tribe. Kinship defined loyalty: one’s clan was protector, family, and identity. Feuds and rivalries were constant, though in times of crisis tribes would unite under charismatic leaders.

Religion was eclectic. Nedes worshiped the Divines in proto-forms, alongside local spirits, totems, and celestial bodies. Sun, moon, and stars were sacred, their cycles woven into ritual. Ancestor veneration was also strong, with burial mounds and cairns marking tribal lands. Some tribes embraced Daedric cults, either out of desperation or proximity to Elves. Unlike the structured pantheons of later races, Nedic belief was fluid, changing with tribe and region.

Daily life revolved around subsistence. Farmers cultivated grain, herders raised cattle, and hunters tracked deer and boar. Craftsmen forged tools, bronze weapons, and simple jewelry. Music and oral storytelling preserved history, blending myth and fact. Songs celebrated heroes, mourned the dead, and honored spirits. Festivals marked solstices and harvests, binding communities together through fire, dance, and feasting.

Though often portrayed as primitive, the Nedes possessed resilience and adaptability. They endured under Elven rule, surviving as slaves, mercenaries, and farmers. They absorbed and adapted foreign customs, shaping them into their own. Where Elves pursued stasis, the Nedes embodied change, their cultures evolving rapidly across generations. This adaptability ensured their survival — and eventual transformation into Imperials, Nords, Bretons, and Redguards’ allies.

History

The origins of the Nedes lie in obscurity. Some accounts trace them to Atmora, others to Yokuda, and still others claim they were native to Tamriel. What is clear is that by the Merethic Era, Nedic tribes were scattered across the continent, living alongside Elves and beastfolk.

In Cyrodiil, the Nedes fell under the dominion of the Ayleids. For centuries they were enslaved, forced to labor in mines, fields, and temples. Their suffering gave rise to the Alessian Rebellion in 1E 243, led by the slave-queen Alessia. This uprising ended Ayleid rule, establishing the Alessian Empire and giving birth to the Imperial identity. Alessia’s covenant with Akatosh bound Nedes to divinity, cementing their role in shaping Tamriel’s future.

In Skyrim, Nedic tribes clashed with migrating Atmorans. Some were absorbed, others exterminated. The Atmorans’ dominance gave rise to the Nords, but Nedic bloodlines persisted in intermarriage and culture. Burial traditions, stone cairns, and early totems influenced Nord practice, even as Atmoran warlords claimed supremacy.

In High Rock, Nedes mingled with Elves of the Direnni Hegemony. Intermarriage produced the first Bretons, man-mer hybrids who inherited human resilience and Elven affinity for magic. Though subjugated by Direnni for centuries, their mixed blood eventually defined the majority population, ensuring Nedic legacy in Bretons.

In Hammerfell, records are scant, but Nedic tribes likely interacted with Yokudan refugees before or after their arrival. Some were absorbed, others displaced. In Valenwood and Elsweyr, Nedes appear as hunters and raiders, often enslaved or marginalized by Bosmer and Khajiit. In Black Marsh, they never established permanence, falling victim to disease and Argonian resistance.

By the end of the First Era, the Nedes had ceased to exist as a distinct people. They had been transformed through conquest, intermarriage, and assimilation. Yet their blood and culture survived in every human race of Tamriel. Imperials, Nords, and Bretons all carry Nedic ancestry, while even Redguards absorbed them through alliance and settlement. The Nedes as a people vanished, but their legacy endured.

Other Information

Physiology:
The Nedes were humans of varied appearance, reflecting diverse origins. In Cyrodiil, they were often dark-haired and olive-skinned; in Skyrim, lighter-haired and fairer; in High Rock, mixed with Elven traits. They were shorter and stockier than Elves, but hardy and resilient. Lifespans were shorter, often less than a century, but survival in hardship gave them strength.

Architecture and Settlements:
Nedic settlements were simple but effective. Villages used timber, thatch, and stone, often fortified with wooden palisades. Cairns and barrows marked burial sites, some surviving into the Fourth Era. In Cyrodiil, Nedic labor built much of Ayleid infrastructure, their hands shaping monuments never credited to them. Their own architecture, overshadowed by Elven ruins, was modest but rooted in land and ancestry.

Warfare:
Nedic tribes fought with bronze swords, spears, and bows. Shields and leather armor were common, with iron weapons appearing later through Elven contact. Warfare was tribal: raids, skirmishes, and ambushes rather than pitched battles. Under Alessia, Nedes learned discipline, forming armies supported by Nords and Elven allies. Their adaptability made them formidable, though never as organized as later legions.

Magic and Attitudes:
The Nedes practiced hedge-magic: charms, runes, and shamanic rituals tied to spirits and ancestors. Some tribes embraced Ayleid sorcery, while others resisted it. Necromancy was practiced in some regions, tied to ancestor cults. Unlike Elves, they did not pursue perfection, but used magic pragmatically. This flexibility seeded later Imperial, Nord, and Breton traditions.

Naming Conventions:
Nedic names were varied, reflecting tribe and region. In Cyrodiil, names blended with Ayleid influences; in Skyrim, they resembled Atmoran forms; in High Rock, they fused with Elven syllables. Few names survive intact, but examples like Alessia, Morihaus, Pelinal (though mythicized) reflect Nedic legacy.

Relations with Other Races:
The Nedes were often subjects or slaves of Elves. Ayleids dominated them in Cyrodiil, Direnni in High Rock, Falmer in Skyrim. Relations with beastfolk were hostile or marginal. Their greatest transformation came through alliances: with Nords against Elves, with Alessia forging the first human empire, and with Elven intermarriage producing Bretons. Their role was often subordinate, but through endurance they became progenitors.

Art and Expression:
Nedic art was simple but symbolic. Carved stones, painted hides, and jewelry of bronze and bone preserved identity. Songs and oral poetry celebrated heroes and lamented losses. Unlike Aldmeri preservation, Nedic expression was mutable, shifting with tribe and memory. Their art did not aim for eternity but for remembrance.

Afterlife and Philosophy:
The Nedes believed in ancestor-spirits guiding the living, with afterlife bound to stars and earth. Some tribes worshiped the Aedra, seeking Aetherius; others turned to Daedra or local spirits. Philosophy emphasized survival: to endure was to honor ancestors, to fight was to preserve kin. Unlike Elven stasis or Redguard exile, Nedic thought embraced change, making them precursors to Tamriel’s mutable human cultures.

Legacy of the Nedes

The Nedes vanished as a distinct race, but their legacy endures in every human of Tamriel. They were the enslaved who became emperors, the subjects who became conquerors, the tribes who became nations. Their adaptability ensured survival through assimilation, while their suffering forged resilience. By 4E 201, no one called themselves Nede, but every Imperial, Nord, and Breton carried their blood. Their legacy is transformation itself: proof that from obscurity and subjugation, greatness can rise.