The Sload are an ancient, amphibious race native to the Coral Kingdom of Thras, a cluster of isles far southwest of Summerset. Neither mer nor man, they are grotesque, slug-like beings of immense girth and slow physicality, yet terrifying intellect. Long-lived, calculating, and utterly pragmatic, the Sload are infamous as necromancers, slavers, and traffickers in forbidden magics.
Legends suggest they descend from ancient sea-creatures that learned sorcery in the Merethic Era, shaping the coral of Thras into sprawling cities. Their alien physiology and detached morality make them among the most feared races of Nirn, despised by men and mer alike, yet impossible to ignore.
The Sload are massive, bloated beings resembling bipedal slugs, with rubbery flesh, tusked faces, and thick appendages suited to both land and sea. Their movements are ponderous on land but deceptively agile in water. They reproduce asexually, budding spawn that develop slowly, ensuring population remains small but steady.
Key traits include:
Immense Longevity: Some live for centuries, their minds growing sharper while their bodies swell.
Lack of Empathy: Sload have no concept of mercy or morality. They view all life as resource — to exploit, experiment upon, or enslave.
Magical Talent: Naturally gifted in necromancy and enchantment, they bind spirits into servitude and animate vast armies of the dead.
Aquatic Adaptation: Though able to move on land, Sload thrive in water, capable of remaining submerged for long durations.
Their alien minds make them impenetrable to normal diplomacy. They honor only bargains, threats, and self-interest.
The Sload rule from Thras, a coral archipelago formed of living reefs sculpted into grotesque towers, halls, and necropolises. Cities are said to pulsate like living things, riddled with canals and slime-chambers.
Thras is both trade hub and blight. Its economy thrives on slavery, soul-gems, and forbidden magics. Sload sorcerers deal in grim bargains, selling necromantic secrets or enchanted coral to outsiders. Yet all who trade with them know the risk: a Sload keeps bargains only so long as they are profitable, and betrayal is inevitable.
The seas around Thras are plagued by unnatural storms and reefs, as if the very ocean recoils from Sload presence.
The most infamous event in Sload history is the Thrassian Plague of the First Era. Around 1E 2200, the Sload unleashed a magical plague upon Tamriel, spreading across Summerset, Valenwood, and western Cyrodiil. Tens of thousands perished; whole provinces teetered on collapse.
The plague was not natural but engineered — proof of Sload cruelty and ambition. Its devastation forced an unprecedented alliance: the Allied Armies of Tamriel. Summerset, Colovia, and Valenwood united their fleets and armies, sailing to Thras in vengeance.
In 1E 2260, the Allied Armies razed Thras, killing countless Sload and sinking large portions of the coral kingdom into the sea. Yet the Sload endured, rebuilding in shadows. Their small numbers and longevity ensured survival, even after genocide.
Despite the devastation of 1E 2260, the Sload continued to plague Tamriel.
Second Era: They reemerged as slavers and sorcerers, manipulating conflicts in Summerset and Valenwood. Sload mages trafficked in soul-gems and corpses, selling armies of undead to desperate lords.
Third Era: Reports of Sload necromancers persisted. The Mages Guild banned contact, but smugglers and warlords sought their knowledge. The Psijic Order condemned them as antithesis of the Old Ways.
Fourth Era: By 4E 201, little is known of Thras. Some believe its coral towers lie dormant beneath waves, while others whisper of new plagues brewing. Khajiiti sailors claim to see ghost-lights near Thras, while Altmer ships give its waters wide berth.
The Sload remain shrouded in mystery, but their reputation ensures fear outpaces truth.
The Sload have no concept of honor or kinship. Their culture is based entirely on calculation and advantage.
Necromancy as Core: To Sload, necromancy is not taboo but necessity. The dead are resources: soldiers, laborers, experiments.
Slavery: They enslave humans, mer, and beastfolk alike, viewing them as tools. Slave labor sustains Thras’ economy.
Trade and Bargain: Sload honor bargains only until advantage shifts. They respect cunning adversaries, despise sentiment, and exploit weakness ruthlessly.
Longevity and Memory: Their lifespans grant them long perspectives. A Sload may plot for centuries, shaping events across generations.
Coral Crafting: Their architecture and artifacts are grown from coral, infused with sorcery. Living coral constructs serve as both tools and weapons.
Their society is alien, lacking family, love, or mercy. Only self-interest endures.
Relation to Magic:
Sload specialize in necromancy, enchanting coral and bone alike. Their grasp of soul manipulation rivals the greatest Altmer arcanists. Some argue they influenced Mannimarco, though evidence is scarce.
Relations with Other Races:
Altmer: Hatred defines this relationship. Summerset still remembers the Thrassian Plague.
Bosmer and Khajiit: Fearful neighbors, often raided by Sload slavers.
Imperials: View them as abominations, though some Colovian lords trafficked with them in secret.
Bretons: A few covens studied Sload necromancy, blending it into Western Reach practices.
Argonians: Natural enemies; Black Marsh repels Sload incursions with ferocity.
Physiology in Warfare:
Despite their sluggish bodies, Sload dominate through undead armies, enslaved sailors, and coral monstrosities. Their minds command where their bodies fail.
Outsider Perceptions:
To Tamriel, the Sload embody corruption: plague-bearers, necromancers, parasites. Even Daedra-worshipers view them with disgust. Yet their survival proves their cunning and strength.
The Sload’s legacy is written in plague and shadow. They nearly destroyed Summerset with disease, provoked Tamriel’s greatest alliance, and endured genocide. They represent the nightmare of pragmatism without morality — a people who see life only as resource, never as sacred.
By 4E 201, the Sload remain in Thras, rebuilding in silence. Few dare sail near their isles. Their future is uncertain, but their presence ensures Tamriel will never know peace while they endure.
The Sload are not conquerors, not empire-builders, but parasites who outlive empires. Their survival is testament to ruthless logic, their power to forbidden arts, their legacy to fear. In every shadowed port, in every whispered tale of plague, the Sload endure — reminders that the most alien of Tamriel’s peoples are also among the most dangerous.