This week, I'd like to showcase a race that has never before appeared in the Elder Scrolls games: the Maormer of Pyandonea. They play a significant part in Khenarthi's Roost, the starting area of the Aldmeri Dominion. 

Fang of the Sea Vipers - A report on the Maormeri navy threatening Auridon. 
The Chosen People of Aldmeris - the Maormeri's view of their split from the Aldmer.
Treaty of Khenarthi's Roost - a harsh treaty between the island and the Maormeri navy.

In other news, Lady Nerevar (me) was invited as a guest on the ESO Alliance podcast, hosted by Evarwyn of Elder Scrolls Off The Record, Kyle and Josh of Shoddycast, and Andrew of the Tamriel Foundry. We talked at length about the NDA, our predictions for ESO post-launch, and the impact/importance of add-ons. You can check it out right here on youtube.

Although the province of Morrowind was thoroughly explored in the eponymous game, there are several new books expanding its story. 

Legend of the Ghost Snake - redefines the Magribash, and intriduces a mythical, perhaps Lorkhanic, figure.
Mottos of the Great Dunmeri Houses - Mottos and patron saints, exactly as promised.
The Great Houses and Their Uses - Dealing with the Great Houses, from an outsider's perspective.
A Pocket Guide to Mournhold - a tourist's guide to the city, translating much of what we saw in TES3:Tribunal and will see in ESO into lore terms.
Kwama Mining for Fun and Profit - fleshes out the industry behind these little critters.

As always, make sure to check out the actual Online Books section to see works that we've added thus far. One of my favorite things about these books is the emphasis placed on author bias - if you sort the books By Author, you can see what subject each favors, and what their agenda is. The bickering between Lady Cinnabar of Taneth and Phrastus of Elinhir is particularly amusing. 

As we continue to add books from ESO, I'd like take a little time highlight some interesting titles the game introduces. This week's feature is all about Valenwood and the Bosmer:

Last of the Old Bones - an interesting myth (referencing the Earthbones?) and Bosmeri burrial customs.
Wood Elf Etiquette - dealing with Bosmer, and a fart joke. 
War Customs of the Tribal Bosmer - just like the title describes, this book deals with warfare among Bosmeri tribes.
Ladies of the Green - brief overview of the "Green Lady," a Bosmeri leader. 
Humor of the Wood Elves - jokes. Awful, awful jokes.

I would also like to thank RottenDeadite and our wonderful new assistants, Jeroic and Myrrlyn, for helping me to sort through and enter all these books. Give them a big round of applause!

The non-disclosure agreement for ESO has been lifted today, meaning that everyone in Beta can now talk about and post screenshots of their experiences with the game. 

It also means that all the books are finally available! For now, you can see them all on the ESOHead wiki - we will be adding them to the library in the coming days.

Head over to the Storyboard if you'd like to discuss the lore or gameplay of ESO, now that we finally can :)

Over twenty new maps have been added to the Library's Cartography section. Most are regional maps pulled from ESO's interactive map feature. You should totally check that out, by the way - it includes many anecdotes and texts about life in the 2nd era. The other two maps are pulled from the Elder Scrolls Anthology. They are a new map of Tamriel and an updated map of the Iliac Bay. The former features two potentially interesting misspellings: Elinhir as Blinhir, and Jehanna as Jelhana. Both these maps were scanned and given to us by Sage of Ice, so big thanks to him. 

When you're done studying all those, you should take a look at this fascinating thesis by forum user Emily. She writes expertly about the impact of real-world cultures and outlooks on them within Skyrim and RPGs in general. 

Enjoy!

Two new articles have been added to the Library.

One, titled Genesis because "Monomyth" was already claimed, takes the various creation myths and arranges each part of them side by side to facilitate easy study. We still recommend reading the individual stories, but this format should make it easier to see how they are all different versions of one big story. You can find Genesis in the Religion & Mythology section of the sidebar.

The other article is a compilation of questions and answers pulled from the Elder Scrolls Online knowledgebase. While some of it concerns the game itself, there are several interesting details about the second era in general. You can find it under the Interviews section of the Developer heading in the sidebar. 

Our timeline has also been extensively (though rather subtly) updated, with numerous edits, rewrites, and additions to make it more accurate, better sourced, and easier to read.

If you have comments about these articles or suggestions about anything else, we encourage you to post them.  

Zeph has been working on for a long time on this epic and now The Elderscrolls Treasury has been updated! The treasury attempts to capture every scrap of knowledge ever published about Tamriel and beyond in a single downloadable body of knowledge. With the addition of The New Encyclopedia Tamrielica and Common Names in Tamriel (1st ed.) it is now complete up to Oblivion.

I've only been able to review a small sampling of it but I think it would be accurate to say that the treasury is one of the most comprehensive works in existence. Zeph has been a longtime Elderscrolls fan and I admire his persistence and the dedication he puts into his work. I'd recommend anybody who wants to know anything about the world of the Elderscrolls keep a copy of this document nearby.

That said, the next edition that will include Skyrim is in the works.

A new Aldmeri Alphabets article has been written to replace the outdated Dwemer Runes page. In addition to translations of Dwemeri, Ayleid, and Falmeri writing systems, it includes all references to the languages in game, translations, symbology, and notes on pronunciation. You can find it in the "Languages & Arts" section of the Library. 

A new look is in the works for The Imperial Library. The new theme will be a lot more structured and quite a bit more pleasing to the eye, so that the Library can feel like a library again. Also slated are some more up-to-date looking discussion boards.

In time, the new look will become the default setting for first-time visitors, but while we are still ironing out the kinks, registered members can take a sneak peek by selecting the new theme in their profile settings.

Update:

The new theme is now live!

The Elder Scrolls Online unveiled their official website this week. On it you can find all-new information about the factions and their leaders, the game's storyline, and new concept art.