Lore:Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition/The Wild Region

:These vast swamplands were once part of the  , which, in  , had seized a large portion of it to create the Imperial Province of  . Many humans still refer to the region by that name, but the Elves call it Argonia, after    where many of their ancestors fell. Thus, the native inhabitants of the swamplands, a collection of beastly tribes of "lizard-men," have become, in common parlance, the  s.

:Argonians are rarely seen outside of their homeland, except for a relatively intelligent strain called the  . Individuals of this strain are repulsive, but peaceful enough to be tolerated among the   kingdoms, and can be found as far from Black Marsh as western  . The rest of the Argonians are primitive, reclusive, and practice heathen rituals of nature worship that necessitates a proximity to a certain type of spore-tree, which grows only in the interior of their native swamplands.

:Black Marsh never regained its Provincial status after the dissolution of the Second Empire, though some parts of it are still considered Imperial territories. In  , the   spread through greater Argonia, claiming the lives of the   tribesmen, the only humans to have persisted in the area for long. The hist proved immune to the effects of this plague, leading to wild rumors that they had, in fact, created it through a manipulation of their cherished spore-trees.


:Far to the south of the   is the island kingdom of Pyandonea, home to the  , a rare breed of tropical elf. It is covered mostly in dense rain forest, and is a playground for the southern water spirits. The Maormer almost never travel to   or visit their cousins at Summerset, for they were exiled from the latter kingdom in ancient times. They are known to possess a strange, chameleon-like skin, an involuntary process that is similar to the forest-coupling skills of the  . They also practice a powerful form of snake  . With this, they have tamed the sea serpents of their island for use as steeds and warbeasts. The Maormer ruler is King  , a deathless wizard who is said to be the Serpent God of the   (see  ).


:The coral kingdoms of Thras, a set of islands southwest of   in the  , are home to a godless tribe of beastmen called the  . These amphibious slugmen, perhaps the most hated race in all of Tamriel, were long thought to be extinct. After the Sload released the   in  , which claimed more than half of the continent's population, the   sailed to Thras, slaughtered all the Sload they could find, and, with great unknown magicks, sunk their coral kingdoms into the sea.

:Sadly, it has been reported that Thras has risen again, and that its masters, the Sload, have recently been seen in various areas of Tamriel. Citizens are encouraged to avoid these beasts, and contact the nearest Imperial authorities when they learn of one's existence. Much is remembered about the slugmen, and has been collected for you in the nearby sidebar. Be vigilant.




:Literally, 'Orsinium' means  -Town in the early Aldmeris. The   (orcs,  s,  , and other  ) that live in Orsinium favor the Elvish name for their settlement, for it suggests, at least to human ears, a glorious and beautiful fortress-city instead of the squalid and filth-ridden village-and-keep that it is. It was founded during the  , when hundreds of beastmen were set free by the rulers of the Summerset Isles and allowed to settle lands north of  . These Orcish tribes chose an uninhabited mountain region near   in  , for their people were (and most still are) dependent on a rare shaggy giant centipede herdbeast that can live only at high altitudes on alpine and sub-alpine forage.

:Orsinium did possess considerable strength during the  , when Orcish refugees fleeing the   invasion of Hammerfell joined the beastman army already gathering there. This army was determined to take control of the   and force the kingdom of   to pay Orsinium regularly for its use. Other powers of the area rose to confront the Orcs, principally the     and the chieftan-kings of early  . The Siege of Orsinium lasted thirty years and ended in its ruin.

:Orsinium briefly became an   territory under the  i Potentate, though this ended with the death of   in  . The Orcs have recently petitioned the New Emperor to grant them a similar status, but   is famous for his hatred of their kind, and has yet to bestow the beastfolk good answer.

   

:These footnotes represent the underlined margin scribbles and remarks that appeared over the original guide, written by an elf known only as "YR".