Tamriel
Tamriel at a Glance — Year 2E 583
The World Right Now
Era & Aftermath: It is 2E 583, the year after the Planemeld was broken. Molag Bal’s bid to weld Coldharbour to Nirn has failed, but the scars remain—ruined sites, lingering cults, frayed borders, and veterans who’ve seen Daedra up close.
The Central War: The Three Banners War rages across Cyrodiil for control of the Ruby Throne and the White-Gold Tower. None of the alliances can rule the Empire outright, so they fight, retreat, and return in cycles, while the Imperial City changes hands or sits half-broken, haunted by the recent crisis.
No Unified Empire: There is no Septim Empire. Imperial authority is fragmented; legions, nobles, and battlemages serve whoever can pay or protect them.
The Three Alliances (Major Players)
Ebonheart Pact — Nords, Dunmer (Dark Elves), Argonians
the @Ebonheart Pact is Led militarily by Primarch Faron Athrendys of House Redoran, with Jorunn the Skald-King serving as cultural unifier. Born of necessity rather than trust, the Pact is bound by the Tribunal’s sanction and Athrendys’ discipline. Its armies combine Nord heavy infantry, Dunmeri sorcery and Redoran legions, and Argonian guerrilla tactics. The Pact rejects the Dragonfires as a false covenant and seeks to destroy the Amulet of Kings, ending the cycle of Empires and the divine mandate of Men. Within its ranks, centuries of resentment simmer—Nords wary of Dunmeri dominance, Argonians mistrustful of old slavers—but the vision of breaking free from Imperial lies holds the alliance together.
Daggerfall Covenant — Bretons, Redguards, Orsimer (Orcs)
Led by High King Emeric of Wayrest. The @Daggerfall Covenant frames itself as the rightful heir to the Second Empire, seeking to restore order through the rule of Men. Breton knightly orders, Redguard swordmasters, and Orcish smiths and shock troops march under one banner. Their armies excel at heavy cavalry charges, disciplined formations, and master-forged siege craft. The Covenant’s goal is to restore the Ruby Throne under a human dynasty and relight the Dragonfires, reasserting the divine covenant of Men as Tamriel’s guiding law. Internal tensions remain—Redguards distrust Breton sorcery, and Orcs struggle for recognition—but Emeric’s vision of a shared empire binds them.
Aldmeri Dominion — Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves), Khajiit
Led by Queen Ayrenn, The @Aldmeri Dominion claims stewardship of Tamriel by right of Elven ancestry, declaring themselves heirs of the ancient Ehlnofey. Their armies are swift and coordinated: Altmer battlemages, Bosmeri archers, and Khajiiti Senche cavalry and lunar sorcerers. They are further bolstered by Allies among the Maormer (Sea Elves), granting them naval supremacy across the seas. The Dominion’s goal is to seat a Mer upon the Ruby Throne and impose an enduring order shaped by Elven wisdom. Yet unity is fragile—Bosmer clan-law clashes with Altmeri refinement, and Khajiiti loyalty shifts with the moons.
Primary Conflict
Each alliance seeks legitimacy through Cyrodiil, but their aims diverge. The @Ebonheart Pact fights to unmake the Amulet of Kings and destroy Cyrodiilic infrastructure to deny any future empire of Man. The @Daggerfall Covenant fights to restore the Ruby Throne and relight the Dragonfires as the sacred covenant of Men with the Time God Akatosh. The @Aldmeri Dominion fights to crown an Altmer on the Ruby Throne, and reshape all of Nirn under Elven stewardship. Cyrodiil remains the center of this struggle: to hold the Ruby Throne is to claim the future of Tamriel, if only for a moment.
What People Remember of the Planemeld
Dark Anchors fell across Tamriel, dragging land and souls toward Coldharbour.
Mages Guild and Fighters Guild took unprecedented public contracts to fight Daedra.
The crisis ended, but Daedric cults, rogue anchors, and scarred locales still provide stories—and dangers.
Religions & Currencies (Use This, Not That)
Divine Pantheon: People in this era speak of the Eight Divines (Akatosh, Arkay, Dibella, Julianos, Kynareth/Kyne, Mara, Stendarr, Zenithar).
Do NOT say “Nine Divines” (that comes much later).
Regional faiths are strong: Tribunal (Vivec, Almalexia, Sotha Sil) among Dunmer; Green Pact among Bosmer; Redguard Yokudan traditions; Nordic worship of Kyne, Shor, et al.
Money: Use “gold” (or “coin”) as the generic currency.
Do NOT call coins “Septims” (the Septim Dynasty and its mint do not exist yet).
Key Factions & Institutions
Great Houses of Morrowind:
Redoran (honor, hardiness, frontier war-leadership),
Hlaalu (commerce, contracts, and quiet knives),
Telvanni (isolationist, cutthroat mages—Sadrith Mora’s towers are feuding research states).
Mages Guild (Vanus Galerion’s legacy): legal study, Daedric prohibition, public contracts.
Fighters Guild: mercenary-honor mix; took Daedra-slaying writs during the Planemeld.
Morag Tong: state-sanctioned Dunmeri assassins (law-bound writs, not random murder).
Outlaw groups: Cammona Tong, pirates, smugglers—emboldened by wartime chaos.
Governments & Geography (How 2E Feels Different from Later Centuries)
Empire-in-Name-Only: No continent-spanning Emperor accepted by all. Power is regional and fluid; alliances and city-states run their own law.
Religious Landscape: The Eight Divines form the backbone of faith across much of Tamriel, but their worship is far from universal.
Nords, Imperials, Altmer, and Bretons venerate them in varying forms, often with strong local cults or patronage of individual Divines.
The Redguards follow their own pantheon, rooted in Yokudan traditions.
The Bosmer keep the Green Pact, bound to Y’ffre.
The Argonians heed the Hist.
The Orcs wrestle with the schism of Malacath and Trinimac.
The Dunmer stand apart entirely, devoted to the Tribunal rather than the Divines.
Thus, the Eight Divines are important, but not a single unifying faith—more a cultural pillar for the west and heartlands than a universal creed.
Economy & Travel: Wartime caravans, guild charters, privateers, and magical/creature transport (e.g., silt striders in Morrowind). Borders are militarized; bribes, safe-conducts, and guild papers matter.
Magic & The Mundane: Daedra are a present danger, not distant myth. Magical research is public business in some regions (e.g., Telvanni), heresy in others.
Practical DM Notes (Language & Tone)
Say: “gold,” “Eight Divines,” “the Ruby Throne,” “White-Gold Tower,” “the Planemeld scars,” “guild contract,” “writ,” “war levy,” “caravan writ,” “safe-conduct.”
Avoid: “Septims,” “Nine Divines,” “Imperial Law says X everywhere,” “Blades,” or references to later-era empires and reforms.
Regional Snapshots (Quick Hooks)
Cyrodiil: Perpetual battlefield; keeps switch banners; Imperial City half-ruined, half-haunted.
Morrowind (and Vvardenfell): Great Houses, Tribunal at full power, ash wastes and alien cities; House politics are war by other means.
Skyrim: Split loyalties under Pact leadership; jarls juggle home defense and Cyrodiil campaigns; giants and barrows complicate supply lines.
Valenwood & Elsweyr: Dominion staging grounds; Bosmeri Green Pact taboos and Khajiiti lunar faith shape local play.
Hammerfell & High Rock: Covenant heartlands of trade, knighthood, and city-state intrigue; Orsimer strongholds supply elite smithing.
What Ordinary People Know
The Three Banners war decides prices, borders, and whether your town sleeps safely.
Daedra are real; some places still have anchors or cult trouble.
Guilds are hiring. Alliances are recruiting. Priests patch the wounded, mages plug the world’s holes, and soldiers are sent to the front lines in Cyrodiil.
Tamrielic Calendar
The Tamrielic calendar progesses as follows:
the days of the week are: Sundas, Morndas, Tirdas, Middas, Turdas, Fredas, Loredas.
The months pass in this order, from the beginning of the year, to the end of the year:
Morning Star
Sun's Dawn
First Seed
Rain's Hand
Second Seed
Mid Year
Sun's Height
Last Seed
Hearthfire
Frost Fall
Sun's Dusk
Evening Star