Online:Elder Scrolls Historical References

References to events in the history of The Elder Scrolls are documented separately at Easter Eggs. 

If you think you have found an undocumented reference, please post your idea on this article's talk page before adding it to this article. 

Arena and Daggerfall
In the quest Long Lost Lore, Sheogorath says that the tasks he has in mind are "Nothing so difficult as, say, reassembling the Staff of Chaos or rebuilding the Numidium", which were the main quests of Arena and Daggerfall respectively. Interestingly, the Staff of Chaos was in one piece until Jagar Tharn split it in 3E 389 and Numidium was intact until Tiber Septim activated it in 2E 896. Since Elder Scrolls Online takes place in 2E 582, Sheogorath is alluding to them being split apart in the future.
In the quest Wearing the Veil, you have to answer two riddles.  One of the possible riddles appeared in both Arena and Oblivion: Two bodies have I, two joined into one, The more I stand still the faster I run.
During its development, the Thieves Guild questline was to take place on the island of   rather than Hew's Bane and include the location of Cosh Hall. In Daggerfall, the island was somewhat of an oddity, as only one location could be found there: a Human Stronghold called "Ruins of Cosh Hall". In ESO, the character Cosh plays an important role in the guild questline, and although the location of the DLC was changed his name was not.
The names of the Battlegrounds teams are a direct reference to early designs for TES: Arena. Arena was originally conceived as a fighting game featuring a tournament that took the player to each of Tamriel's cities to challenge different gladiatorial teams. According to a file from that stage of development left behind in the final game, the Firedrakes hailed from  , the Stormlords from  , and the Pit Daemons from  . The name of the Blackcaster Mages Guild is also a reference to these old gladiator names, being named after the Blackcasters from Elinhir.

Morrowind
The quests The Naked Nord and If the Spell Fits will both have you assisting an unfortunate Nord who was stripped and robbed by a witch. Several quests with a similar plot appeared in Morrowind.
At the docks of Davon's Watch is a ship named The Rusty Argonian Blade, a reference to the pulp romance book The Lusty Argonian Maid, which has appeared in every game since Morrowind.
During the quest Finding the Family, you will be sent to find several lost guar. Two of these guar are named Rollie and Corkie, a reference to Rollie the Guar and Corky from Morrowind.
On an island on a lake in the Evergreen Crags region in Cyrodiil, just south of Dragonclaw Mine, a dead Bosmer mage named Icarian can be found. On another island there is a ritual site and a note, which describes Icarian's attempts to reach   by using magic to jump very high (obviously with catastrophic results). This is a reference to the character Tarhiel from Morrowind, the creator of the Scrolls of Icarian Flight (seemingly named after Icarian), who can be encountered plummeting to his death near Seyda Neen. The title of his notes (which are nearby), From Nirn to the Aether, is a reference to the translation of the Daedric script on the Scroll of Icarian Flight in Morrowind: "FROM THE EARTH TO AETHER... AND BACK". The contents of the journal also reference the scrolls with the following line: "They laughed when I shouted "From Nirn to the Aether and back!" from the rooftops, but I will have the last chortle."
During the quest Reclaiming Vos, if you talk to Mistress Dratha while she lies sick in her bed she may say "The Sharmat... lurking. Waiting. Curses beneath the mountain... Hear me, Incarnate! Hear me.", "Not now... not yet. The fire. The unmourned house. Must... be ready.", and "Hortator and Incarnate... must rise. I have to prepare. I have to..." This is Dratha foreseeing the events of Morrowind.
Caldera is referenced twice, with the Memory Stone quest referring to the "Caldera Crater", the future location of Caldera, and "Caldera Mushrooms", from the same location.
Revus Demnevanni, a crazed House Telvanni wizard living in Arvs-Drelen in Gnisis, is an ancestor and reference to Baladas Demnevanni, a crazy House Telvanni wizard living in the same location. 
Crew Chief Hondulf, in Shulk Ore Mine, makes a reference to the Shulk Egg Mine quest in Balmora.
In the Mournhold Outlaws Refuge, there is a Merchant Scamp named Creeper. This is a reference to the merchant scamp of the same name.
The Mournhold Packrat pet is based on the Pack Rat available in the Tribunal expansion for Morrowind.

Oblivion
Darvell Litte is a citizen of Chorrol who is viewed as eccentric by the other townsfolk. Much to his wife's aggravation, Darvell claims that he can "smell" the magicka emanating from the fissure that runs through town and regrets not becoming a mage. Despite his wife's ridicule, it's clear that Darvell does have some natural competence for magic, as a descendant of his named Alberic Litte is a member of the Chorrol Mages Guild in Oblivion.
Lisien Motierre is a citizen of Chorrol who can be found in the ruins of the town's chapel. When approached, he will angrily announce that not even the gods can chase the Motierres from Chorrol. This is an ironic statement, considering Francois Motierre's elaborate scheme to escape the city in Oblivion.
Another Motierre family member, Mirabelle, appears with the Dark Brotherhood DLC. She is a member of the Brotherhood, while the Motierres of both Oblivion and Skyrim were their clients.
Domitius Doran in Chorrol will make the claim that "500 years from now, there'll still be Dorans in Chorrol". The Doran family appears in Oblivion.
Governor Fortunata ap Dugal, the ruler of Anvil, is the ancestor of Captain Torradan ap Dugal, an undead pirate.
Captain Marie Elena is a pirate captain of the Red Sails encountered during Dark Revelations in the Enclave of the Hourglass. In Oblivion, your first contract for the Dark Brotherhood sent you aboard the pirate ship The Marie Elena.
After committing a crime, if a guard catches you and they start a conversation with you, they may say "Stop right there criminal scum!". This is exactly what a guard may say if they catch you and enable dialogue with you in Oblivion.
The infamous Cliffracer Song (''"Flyyin' in the skyyyy.... cliff racer flies so high"''), sung by Aldos Othran in Oblivion, makes a reappearance in ESO: it can be heard sung by Valen Andrethi in Davon's Watch during the quest Exquisite Tears.
A rumor in Oblivion states: ''"Dervera Romalen is sure proud of the Newlands Lodge. I think she's especially happy that the Red Queen drinks there."'' This line seems to relate to an unfinished quest from that game. In ESO, it's possible to craft a drink called  .
The Highland Wolf has a default name of "Rislav the Righteous", a reference to Rislav The Righteous.
The   Achievement Furnishing is a reference to the character of the same name.
The quest A Special Request takes place partly in Anvil Castle. Part of the quest involves speaking to someone working in the castle for advice. This quest is similar in this respect to Taking Care of Lex, which also involves speaking to an insider working in the castle, who then tells you about a secret passageway to reach your destination.
Applewatch has three characters, including Leono Draconis and Rasala Draconis, a reference to its appearance in Oblivion, whereby Perennia Draconis resided here during Next of Kin.

Skyrim
The book I was Summoned by a Mortal contains many references to the behavior of summoned Dremora in Skyrim, including their habit of rushing into fights and some of their battle quotes.
The book Guard Duty makes reference to the well known line of guard dialogue in Skyrim "I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee...", which became a hit meme soon after Skyrim's release. 
After completing the quest The Coral Heart, Holgunn will congratulate you with ''"Then Ebonheart is saved! We are once again in your debt. Maybe we'll make you the new Thane of Whiterun. After all, they'll take anyone!" This is a reference to the relative ease by which you could become the thane of Whiterun in Skyrim, requiring the completion of only two quests.
Satuhaz, one of the bankers in Elden Root, sometimes says: "Satuhaz wagers, if one were to bring a pack of armored trolls to break into our vault, our trolls would be the victors in that scenario. Why, you might ask? This one has the answer: Our trolls are vampires."'' This is a reference to the Dawnguard, an order of vampire hunters known to use armored trolls in battle.
The quest A Night to Forget is seemingly a nod to the Skyrim quest A Night To Remember. Aside from the similar names, both involve retrieving items to piece together the events of a drunken night out.
During the quest Snow and Flame, Scout Snowhunter takes you to Skuldafn through a secret tunnel. This may be a nod to the   Odahviing, whose name means "Snow-Hunter-Wing" in the  , and who takes you to Skuldafn during the quest The World-Eater's Eyrie in Skyrim.
The merchant Nagaddu in Elden Root may joke, "Some call this junk. This one? This one also call this junk, resell it at deep discount." This is a reference to a commonly-heard line of merchant dialogue in Skyrim: "Some may call this junk. Me? I call them treasures."
If Ennia is spoken to, one of her greetings is: ''"Let me guess. You're looking for someplace to buy sweetrolls." This is a reference to the guards in Skyrim, who sometimes say, "Let me guess... someone stole your sweetroll."'', making Ennia's dialogue a continuation of the gag.
In Khunzar-ri and the Demon: Part One it starts with one of the Khunzar-ri's exploits "After Khunzar-ri defeated the giant Drol by consuming four-hundred-and-one moon-sugar pies, he met a demon." This seems to be a nod to healing mid-battle by consuming food, which is typically stereotyped as a ridiculous amount of cheese wheels.

See Also
M'aiq the Liar, the recurring character whose comments are references to events and features of the game (both new and removed), jokes, and Easter Eggs.

 
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