Happy New Life Festival, one and all! With the new year now underway, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the things added to the Imperial Library in 2019. 

• Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset main quest writeup - our latest addition, with tons of screenshots. 
• 150+ books from the Skyrim Creation Club
• 200+ new books from ESO's releases this year 
• Elder Scrolls Blades main quest writeup 
• The Dragon language dictionary
• A ton of old and never before seen art from Arena, Daggerfall, Redguard, and Skyrim
• A whole lot of new maps (and more incoming!)
• A page on LGBTQ+ individuals in Tamriel 
• More updates to Who Did What, our page tracking contributions to the Elder Scrolls universe 
• All sorts of backups for ESO website and media content, including old faction introductions, ESO Live's introduction of the new Loremaster, Zumog Phoom's Loremaster's Archive and Twitter roleplay, and Crown Store showcase.

Of course, we've got some big things planned for 2020 as well! 

Thanks to the efforts of Benefactor, the over 150 books from Skyrim's Creation Club are now documented in the library!

Here are a few notable volumes to get you started: 

• The Crimson Dirks (Alternative Armor) - a mostly fictional series about the exploits of a prolific bandit gang. 
• The Restless (Dead Man's Dread) - the legend of Cyrus the Restless. 
• Forebear's Note (Dead Man's Dread) - A bit of new Yoku, and Forebear/Crown political relations. 
• Lost Caravan Guard's Note (Sunder & Wraithguard) - journal of a guard transporting a pair of artifacts. Contains interesting info regarding Morrowind around the time of the Red Year. 
• Velyne's Letter (Sunder & Wraithguard) - info on how the Tools ended up in Skyrim, and a bit about their manufacture. 
• Crafting with Netch Leather (Netch Leather Armor) - a bit on the properties and construction of netch leather armor. 
• Crypt of the Heart - Draft (Spell Knight Armor) - the history of a Breton knightly order. 
• To Raise the Living (Staff of Hasedoki) - a necromancer reflects on motherhood and legacy. 
• Forgotten Seasons, V1 (Forgotten Seasons) - a mage's journey to obtain a Dwemeri artifact capable of controlling the weather.
• Blue God's Journal (Goblins) - an orc accidentally becomes the Blue God worshiped by a tribe of goblins. 

And, finally, this adorable drawing of a Riekling hunting party going after some netch: 

Our Dragon dictionary page is complete! With over 615 words, most of them officially translated, it is our biggest dictionary to date. It includes all words from Skyrim as well as new ones added by Elder Scrolls Online's Season of the Dragon this year. 

While several other places already have big dictionaries, I wanted to make sure that ours reflected only official translations whenever possible. Official translations, here, mean ones provided by Bethesda directly and preferably out of character, such as in Creation Kit script notes or as part of the Prima official guides. This helps keep things as accurate as possible, as idiomatic translations sound good but aren't always accurate when translated back. For example: wahlaan is officially translated as create/build. However, in Dragon Language: Myth No More, wahlaan is translated back to English as "raised." While "raised this stone" has the same meaning as "created/built this stone," "raised a child" or "raised the sea" does not.

We've got some very special old new art for you guys today. Thanks to TheRockWithAMedicineCupOnHisHead, we've been able to obtain some never-before-seen Arena and Daggerfall concept art, as well as high resolution scans of the Redguard intro movie. Our very own Benefactor uncovered a treasure trove of Oblivion concept art, which has never before been posted on the internet. And I, meanwhile, compiled all of Ray Lederer's Skyrim concept art into one big gallery. As far as I'm aware, this is the first time most of this art has been gathered in one place!

Together, these galleries tell a story of evolution, starting in 1993 with an Arena that was not yet an RPG (much less an Elder Scrolls game), and ending in the most successful TES title of all time. In the coming months we will be updating our galleries with even more artwork to cover Elder Scrolls Online, Legends, Blades, and beyond. 

Check out a few choice pieces below, and click each gallery for more wonderful art. 

1993 — Arena location paintings by David Lee Anderson. 

1994 — Daggerfall concept art by Mark Jackson. (Warning: Like the game, this gallery contains nudity. Not suitable for work or for minors.)

1994-95 — Daggerfall logo concepts and 1995 CES mockup cover, by David Lee Anderson.

Circa 1998 — Redguard Movie stills, by Mark Jackson. 

Circa 2003-2005 — Oblivion concept art, by R. Todd Broadwater and Matt Carofano. 

Circa 2009-2010 — Skyrim concept art, by Ray Lederer

Please do not republish or rehost this art without explicit permission from the artists and from Bethesda. 

It's been over a year since the last update to the cartography section, and a lot has come out since then. In addition to the in-game maps for ESO's recent updates, I've also uploaded some of their beautiful and evocative concept art maps: 

And the less pretty, but definitely still interesting (especially for other cartographers!) heightmaps extracted from Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim's data files: 

Check out the full set of updates in the Cartography section.

Lots of texts were added to the Library this past month. In case you don't follow us on Discord or social media, here's a sampling of the updates: 

• Faction introductions found on the old elderscrollsonline.com. Thanks to Benefactor for bringing these (and the other missing ESO out of game texts below) to my attention. 
• Texts from the ESO Interactive Map found on the old official site. These little snippets did not make it into the game itself. There are a lot of them, so we've divided them based on the region that they appeared. 
• Texts relating to the "Nameless Mage" contest, which resulted in the character of Malkur Valos. 
• Promotional letters from Queen Ayrenn and Abnur Tharn, sent to community members in the real world to promote Summerset and the Year of the Dragon. 
• Transcription of the ESO Live episode featuring the new Loremaster, Leamon Tuttle. TIL and myself get a nice shoutout, by which we're eternally humbled. Accompanying that, we've also reposted UESP's interview with him. 
• Elder Scrolls Blades storyline - while this one was technically the tail end of March, it's still worth a mention. The majority of the story is now online, with the final chapter currently in progress. 
• And, finally, Todd's Skyrim notes. Also technically from March, this small document is a fascinating look at where Skyrim began and how it changed through production. 

With Elsweyr on the horizon, May is going to be a big month for lovers of Khajiit, dragons, and necromancy. We can't wait for all the juicy lore the Chapter has in store! 

The anniversary celebrations continue!

First up, do not miss this absolutely fantastic Polygon interview with ten of Morrowind's developers, including Michael Kirkbride, Ken Rolston, Todd Howard, Mark Nelson, and more. It's very long, but jam packed with behind the scenes information and character. 

Next, Elder Scrolls: Blades has officially gone into Early Access! You can download the app on Android now and soon on iOS, and keep an eye on your email to see if you've been granted entry. And if you simply can't wait for spoilers, I've begun documenting the main quest path here, though it is still very small and work in progress.

On this day, 25 years ago, Elder Scrolls Arena first introduced us to the world of Tamriel. Happy anniversary! 

Bethesda is hosting all sorts of celebrations, both online and in person at PAX East in Boston. Check out their big news post for more. 

Most importantly, if you don't already own Morrowind, head here and use the code TES25TH-MORROWIND to get your free copy. 

Need a refresher on Elsweyr, dragons, or necromancy before the big Elder Scrolls Online reveal on Tuesday? We've got you covered!

Elsweyr

Both leaks and official statements show that we'll be traveling to Elsweyr this year. It's reasonable to assume that the whole province will be part of the mid-year Chapter release, with the first quarter dungeon DLC potentially being a preview to the region. Check out the books below for an overview of the province and its feline inhabitants.

• Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: The Elsweyr Confederacy - although written some 300 years after Elder Scrolls Online, the PGE1 remains the backbone of Elsweyr lore.
• Khajiit Physiology: Phases and Moons - this article summarizes the information we have about the different "furstocks"
• Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: Elsweyr - although this book covers the areas of Elsweyr already present in ESO, it is a good refresher on the content and highlights Zenimax Online's views on the province.
• Varieties of Faith: The Khajiit - the quintessential text on gods and worship.
• Khajiiti Honorifics - an introduction to Khajiiti naming customs in the second era.
• Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi - the Khajiiti creation myth and an introduction to their theology.
• Ahzirr Trajijazaeri- written in the late 3rd era, this book is a fascinating look at Khajiiti philosophy and their relationship with foreign powers.
• Moon Worship among the Cat-Men - an Imperial introduction to Khajiiti lunar worship.

If you're interested in the developer thinking behind creating the Khajiit, our archive of Douglas Goodall's posts is a great place to start. Meanwhile, the linguists and roleplayers among you will be interested in our new Ta'agra dictionary and in the thread archive for Ta'agra Phrases and Expressions.

Dragons

Unlike Elsweyr, which has had a long presence in Elder Scrolls lore, dragons have been obscure and unexplored until TES5: Skyrim. Between Elder Scrolls Online's Season of the Dragon and the upcoming Elder Scrolls: Blades, 2019 is shaping up to be their year. Here are a few texts to introduce you to these divine creatures.

• There be Dragons - a basic overview of dragons
• Atlas of Dragons - lists known dragons and their status. Several are still alive in the second era, and may show up in the DLC.
• The Dragon War - a history of dragons in Tamriel and their downfall
• Dragon Language: Myth No More - explores the language of the dragons and their relationship to the early men of Skyrim.

Also of interest is Where Were You When the Dragon Broke, which interviews various cultural leaders about the Middle Dawn. While the Middle Dawn occurred back in the first era, and the Dragonbreak at Rimmen that R'leyt-harhr mentions won't happen until the very end of the second, the broken dragon tablet sent out by Zenimax Online may be a clue that the DLC will feature a Dragonbreak in some fashion.

Necromancy

Datamining indicates that the Necromancer will be a new class included in this year's chapter. Take a look at the following books if you're thinking of roleplaying these vilified (or misunderstood?) mages.

• Unhallowed Legions - this Loremasters Archive introduces the different classifications of undead.
• On the Preparation of the Corpse - a classic text for necromancers, covering the acquisition and preparation of different sorts of dead.
• Guild Memo on Soul Trapping - Galerion's edicts on the nature of black and white souls.
• The Black Arts on Trial - while this specific text is from the late 3rd era, these same arguments have been debated in scholarly circles since the second era

Have a great source you think I've missed? Want to tell us about your Elsweyr hopes, fears, and predictions? Let us know in the comments below!

If you're eager to talk to other lore fans about the upcoming content, our friends at UESP.net are doing a pre-release speculation on Monday at 8PM Eastern on their Twitch channel. Be sure to check it out!