Home to the Khajiit, Elsweyr is a fascinating province of Tamriel in Bethesda’sElder Scrollsgames. Initially appearing inThe Elder Scrolls: Arena, Elsweyr has been mentioned in everyElder Scrollsgame since, though hasn’t appeared in one developed by Bethesda. Found in the southernmost part of Tamriel, the region consists primarily of jungle and woodland,not unlike the province Valenwoodof which it borders.
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The land of Elsweyr and the Khajiit culture that inhabits it may not be featured in their own game quite yet. But to assume that Bethesda has not put injust as much thought into its loreas every other province in Tamriel would be a mistake.
7Different Forms of Khajiit
Casual players ofThe Elder Scrollswould be forgiven for thinking that the cat-like race of Khajiit all look the way they do inOblivionandSkyrim. However,this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The appearance of a Khajiit will vary greatly depending on what phase the moons are in at the time of their birth. Depending on the moons, Khajiit can resemble anything from a traditional housecat to someone indistinguishable from Bosmer. There are 17 known various breeds of Khajiit, though there are supposedly more than 20.
6The Mane
Instead of a traditional leader, Khajiit are ruled by a “Mane” - a supposedly rare type of Khajiit that can only be born when all three moons are aligned. There can only be one Mane at any given time, though it’s unknown as to why that is. Perhaps it’s due to spiritual reasons, or because of how rare the occasion is.
It’s also speculated that the Mane will simply “take out” any competition. Whatever the reason, the Mane is believed to be the same Khajiit, simply reborn into different bodies. Manes are intended to be peaceful and nonpartisan rulers, though their peace doesn’t always last very long.
5Geography and Environment
Elsweyr is found at the southern border of Tamriel, and its environment reflects this. The society of Khajiit are split between the two competing environment types. A plantation autocracy produces Moon Sugar within the jungle, while nomadic tribesmen roam the bare desert and badlands.
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Moon Sugar is plentiful in Elsweyr, which can be processed into the fictional drug Skooma, addictive and illegal throughout most of Tamriel. For this reason, Elsweyr is popular among smugglers, who often use Elsweyr’s seaports to smuggle goods.
4Creatures
Like in all other provinces, Khajiit aren’t the only living beings to inhabit the land. Apart from traditional animals that roam Tamriel, travelers may come across Senche-cats - large cats that are distant relatives to the Khajiit, specifically the Senche breeds. Unlike Khajiit, however, they are unable to speak.
Also occupying Elsweyr is the Rimmen Ringtail Wolf. These large wolves were appreciatedby the extinct Akaviri race, who domesticated them and used them as mounts.Players will actually be able to use them as their own mountsin an upcomingElder Scrolls Onlineupdate.
3Religion
The Khajiit follow a similar, albeit somewhat differentreligion and pantheon than most other races in Tamriel. According to Khajiit legend, ancestor cats Ahnurr and Fadomai gave birth to the great spiritual children, most of whom resemble Aedra such as Akatosh or Mara. The second litter consisted of Daedra such as Mehrunes Dagon and Sanguine. Though Ahnurr didn’t want any more children, Fadomai was convinced by her children to have one more litter, which then consisted of Azurah, Nirni, and the moons. Ahnurr was furious and fled into the void, birthing Lorkhaj in the process.
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Fadomai then used the last of her life to give Nirni the gift of having children of her own. Nirni asked Lorkhaj to create a dwelling place for her children, to which Lorkhaj responded by creating the mortal plane and trapping Fadomai’s first litter there. Nirni then birthed most of the races of Tamriel, save for Khajiit, which were birthed by Azurah. This angered Nirni, who asked her sibling Y’ffer to punish the Khajiit by transforming Elsweyr into a barren wasteland filled with poisonous marshes. Azurah protected the Khajiit by granting them the ability to change their shape to survive.
2Khajiit Names
Players might wonder why Khajiit names sound so foreign compared to the many other racial names in Tamriel. Khajiit names usually contain a prefix or a suffix, which is sometimes accompanied by an apostrophe.
These prefixes and suffixes often have other meanings that will usually refer to the individual’s talents or place in society. For example, “Ra” or “Ja” will mean “Chief”, “Do” means “Warrior”, and “Ma” means “Child” or “Apprentice” Some prefixes or suffixes, such as “Qa”, “Sa”, or “Sha” don’t have a known meaning yet.
1Division Within Elsweyr
While there is a vast history of the province of Elsweyr, the recent history of the Fourth Era iswhat’s most likely to affectThe Elder Scrolls 6. After the Oblivion Crisis, Elsweyr was temporarily independent of Tamriel, though eventually rejoined for unknown reasons. During the Great War, an event known as the Void Nights took place, in which the moons of Nirn mysteriously disappeared for 2 years. Considering how much Khajiit rely on the moons for birth and spirituality, this caused a massive panic in the province.
The moons did eventually return, for which the Thalmor took credit. The Khajiit responded by joining the Aldmeri Dominion, considering the Thalmor to be their saviors. The Elsweyr Confederacy was then overthrown by a coup, dividing Elsweyr between the kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine. The Thalmor consider both to be client states of theirs, and Elsweyr remains divided ‘till this day.
