Races of Tamriel: Nord

Intro

High Elf

Wood Elf

Dark Elf

Breton

Redguard

Nord

Imperial

Khajiit

Argonian

Orc

Arena Description
Nords hail from the province of Skyrim. They are tall and fair skinned people who are strong, willful, and hardy. It is rumored that growing in their arctic environment has inured them to its effects, for they seem to shrug off all but the coldest of attacks. Nords take half damage from Cold based attacks, and on a successful saving throw take no damage. They are excellent in all arts concerning the blade and shield.

Daggerfall Description
The citizens of Skyrim are a tall and fair-haired people. Strong, willful, and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold, even magical frost, and are known for their prowess as warriors.

Battlespire Description
The citizens of Skyrim are a tall and fair-haired people. Strong, stubborn, and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold, even magical frost, and are known for their prowess as warriors.

Morrowind Description
The citizens of Skyrim are a tall and fair-haired people, aggressive and fearless in war, industrious and enterprising in trade and exploration. Skilled sailors, Nords can be found in seaports and settlements along all the coasts and rivers of Tamriel. Strong, stubborn, and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold, even magical frost. Violence is an accepted and comfortable aspect of Nord culture; Nords of all classes are skilled with a variety of weapon and armor styles, and they cheerfully face battle with an ecstatic ferocity that shocks and appalls their enemies.

Shadowkey Description
A hardy race that favors giving better in battle than they take and they are known to take quite a bit. Nord Resilience lowers physical damage done when an enemy lands a blow.

Oblivion Description
Citizens of Skyrim, they are tall and fair-haired people. Strong and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold. They are highly talented warriors.

The Nedic People Migrate to Tamriel

The original homeland of the Nords is called Atmora, which lies to the north of Tamriel. It is believed that the Nords were just one of the Nedic people who settled Tamriel during the late Merethic Era. These Nedic people included not only the Nords of today, but also "the proto-Cyrodilians, the ancestors of the Bretons, the aboriginals of Hammerfell, and perhaps a now-vanished Human population of Morrowind” (Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation). People from Atmora continued to migrate, and Tamriel served as a 'safety value' for centuries (Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation).

Ysgramor Arrives

Fleeing from a civil war, the people of Atmora, led by the legendary Ysgramor, continued to cross the icy waters of the Sea of Ghosts, landing at Hsaarik Head, in the northern part of what is now called Skyrim (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). It seems that "Ysgramor was following a long tradition of migration from Atmora" (Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation). Although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the first people settled this area, it is believed that this was the first region in Tamriel to be settled by humans ( Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

"These first settlers named the land ‘Mereth’, after the Elves that roamed the untamed wilderness which then covered the whole of Tamriel" ( Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). The land became known as Skyrim, also called the Old Kingdom or the Fatherland.

Night of Tears

In the beginning, the men and elves lived in relative harmony. The men thrived as more and more people arrived. The Nords constructed the grand city of Saarthal. Peace did not last; the Elves fell upon the men in the infamous Night of Tears. The town of Saarthal was attacked and burned, and it is believed that only Ysgramor and two of his sons escaped back to Atmora ( Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

Ysgramor’s Return

Ysgramor did not stay in Atmora. Angered from the events of the Night of Tears, he returned to Tamriel with a vengeance. He had gathered his Five Hundred Companions and drove the elves from Skyrim. The foundations of the first human empire were formed (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

Goodbye, Elves and Hello, Skyrim

Did Ysgramor truly defeat the elves once and for all? It is difficult to say for sure. Some historians believe that "It may be that the exploits of the near-mythical Ysgramor conflate the reigns of several early Nord Kings, as the Elves were not finally driven from the present boundaries of Skyrim until the reign of King Harald, the thirteenth of Ysgramor's line, at the dawn of recorded history" (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). Whatever the case may be, the Elves were vanquished during King Herald’s reign, 1E 113-221 (Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation). During his rule, King Herald relinquished all holdings on Atmora, and the Nords of Skyrim officially became a separate people (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

Nordic Empire Continues to Expand

The First Empire of the Nords began with King Vrage the Gifted. "Within a span of fifty years, Skyrim ruled all of northern Tamriel, including most of present-day High Rock, a deep stretch of the Nibenay Valley, and the whole of Morrowind" (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). Epic battles raged during the First Era. The Nords and Dark Elves clashed in the hills of Morrowind. But, during their expansion, the Nords found more than just Elves: “When the Nord armies of the First Empire finally entered High Rock and Cyrodiil, they found Bretons and proto-Cyrodiils already living there among the Elves. Indeed, the Nords found it difficult to distinguish between Elf and Breton, the two races had already intermingled to such a degree" (Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation). The Nordic expansion into Cryrodiil and High Rock lasted less than two centuries, but the power in those areas shifted to the Human (Frontier, Conquest, and Accommodation).

The Moot Becomes Moot

Early in the First Empire, Skyrim was divided into Holds. These Holds were ruled by clan-heads, king, and councils (or moots). The rulers were loyal to the King of Skyrim. King Herald died at the age of 108, and he outlived all but three of his sons. The next King had to be chosen, so a Moot was created to select the next ruler. All the qualified members of the royal family were considered, and one was chosen (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

The Moot became permanent and increasingly more powerful as the years went by; eventually, "the Moot became partisan and ineffective" (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). When King Borgas, the last of the Ysgamor line, was killed by the Wild Hunt, the Moot failed to appoint the obvious choice. This event sparked the War of Succession and resulted in Skryim losing control in Morrowind, Cyrodiil, and High Rock. They never regained the territories (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

When the war had finally ended in 1E 420, the Pact of Chieftans was angered by the Moot’s ineptitude and decided to limit its power. Now the Moot is only convened when a King dies without any direct heirs (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

Nords in Solstheim

To the north of Morrowind, lies a piece of land called Solstheim. Some time ago (an exact time has not been recorded), several Nords made their way to this new land. Filled with snow, forests, and mountains, this place was to be a beautiful home to them.

As with other Nordic expansions, the Nords clashed with the Elves. Fighting ensued and culminated in the Battle of Moestring. According to one account, the Elven forces were many and fierce, but the Nords fought with equal fury and rage, killing many enemy forces. When it appeared that the Nords had the upper hand, the Elven spirits were lifted by a lone rider. The Nords called him the ‘Snow Prince,’ and now joined by this leader, the Elven army appeared nigh invincible. Several of the mightiest Nords were slaughtered by the ‘Prince,’ and the tide seemed to be turning in favor of the Elves (Thirsk, a History). When it appeared that the Nords would be overcome, the battle came to an abrupt end:

Finna, daughter of Jofrior, a lass of only twelve years and squire to her mother, watched as the Snow Prince cut down her only parent. In her rage and sorrow, Finna picked up Jofrior's sword and threw it savagely at her mother's killer. When the Elf's gleaming spear stopped its deadly dance, the battlefield fell silent, and all eyes turned to the Snow Prince. No one that day was more surprised than the Elf himself at the sight that greeted them all. For upon his great steed the Snow Prince still sat, the sword of Jofrior buried deeply in his breast. And then, he fell, from his horse, from the battle, from life. The Snow Prince lay dead, slain by a child (Thirsk, a History).

The Battle of Moestring had ended, and the Nords were victorious. Peace came to Solstheim.

In the Skaal village on Solstheim, the Nords follow a "strict adherence to nature worship" (Thirsk, a History), and bears and wolves are viewed as sacred. Eventually, a small group of Skaal left the main village, traveling to the eastern bank of Lake Fjalding. They wanted to live life as it was done in Skyrim and not be restricted to ways of the Skaal. A grand mead hall was built, and Thirsk, as it was named, became home to these Nordic warriors (Thirsk, a History).

The Way of the Voice

As the Children of the Sky, the Nords use their breath and voices as a form of spiritual magic (Children of the Sky). Known as the Way of the Voice, this power is believed to come from the wind, or more specifically, the goddess Kynareth (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). The voice is so revered that when enemies are defeated, the Nords will take their tongues as trophies. It is believed that the tongues are woven into ropes and can hold speech like an enchanment (Children of the Sky).

The strongest Nordic warriors who have mastered the Voice are known as 'Tongues.' These Tongues have the ability to articulate the power of their Voice into a Thu’um or shout. "Shouts can be used to sharpen blades or to strike enemies at a distance" (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim). This power is usually employed to knock an opponent back or to command another. It is rumored that “A strong Nord can instill bravery in men with his battle-cry, or stop a charging warrior with a roar" (Children of the Sky). When Nords attack a city, “they take no siege engines or cavalry; the Tongues form in a wedge in front of the gatehouse, and draw in breath” (Children of the Sky). After the walls are breeched, the Nord rush in to continue their assault. It is also believed that Tongues can call to someone over hundred of miles and even move themselves by casting a Shout and appearing where it lands. As one can see, this power appears to be quite formidable; "The most powerful Tongues cannot speak without causing destruction. They must go gagged, and communicate through a sign language and through scribing runes" (Pocket Guide to the Empire: Skyrim).

Sovngarde

"According to the ancient writings and oral traditions of the Nords, going back as far as the Late Merethic Era, there exists a place so magnificent, so honored, that the entrance lies hidden from view. Sovngarde, it is called, built by the god Shor to honor those Nords who have proven their mettle in war" (Sovngarde, a Reexamination).

It is difficult to prove whether or not this place truly exists, but if you ask the Nords, they will surely tell you that it does, and "some Nords spend a lifetime searching for the mysterious hidden entrance to Sovngarde" (Sovngarde, a Reexamination). Of course, there are scholars who believe that this great hall is just a myth, but he or she would never say that to a Nord’s face.

According to several ancient parchments discovered in Cyrodiil, a Nordic warrior called Rolf the Large spent his entire life searching for the entrance to Sovngarde. The parchments tell that Rolf encountered a band of giants and was killed. In what seemed like a gigantic defeat of Rolf’s hopes (and body), the Nord finally got his wish. It is said that he "drifted away from the scene, soaring upwards into the heavens, where he finally arrived in the magnificent hall of Sovngarde!" (Sovngarde, a Reexamination).

If we are to believe the tale told in these parchments, then it appears that the way for a Nord to enter Sovngarde is through death. Any Nord can enter Shor’s Hall of Valor if he or she dies a valiant and honorable death (Sovngarde, a Reexamination).

Nordic Gods