Nord Overview (Guide)

Disclaimer

Please note that this document along with a few others have been created with new players in mind. These documents are written by other players and are not cannon. There is a lot of lore for ESO and new players will be well served by summaries that allow them to orient what they learn in game to the larger picture. This is not a final say document and we recognize that those of you who are very familiar with the lore may disagree with individual points expressed here. We welcome those differences to be expressed in role-play, but are not looking to generate a lore battle that would be far over the heads of this documents intended audience.

Introduction

It is said that the world was created when Shor made a great sacrifice of his very godhood. In revenge, his heart was ripped from his body and thrown to Nirn, forming Red Mountain around it. His wife Kyne then breathed on highest peak in Tamriel, the throat of the world and brought into existence the races of men. Many of them migrated north and in the land of distant green summers they became the Atmorans. Towering, hardy warriors, these animal totem worshiping stout-hearted men and women suffered decades of civil war and encroaching frost on their continent until at last a chieftain named Ysgramor convinced a group of them to sail south to the continent of Tamriel. On the northernmost shores under the shadow of the same mountain from which their ancestors first emerged, they settled. However the native snow elves, fearful of the spread of mankind, descended on their small settlement of Saarthal and massacred the innocent people there. Ysgramor and his two sons escaped and returned to Atmora to tell the story of the night of tears to their people, and then rallied 500 companions to their side to avenge them. When next they sailed their longboats to Tamriel it was not as mere settlers, but as fierce conquerors. They cut a bloody swath across the whole of the land that was touched by sky until not a single snow elf remained. Thus was the land of Skyrim tamed, and ruled by the descendants of Ysgramor's victorious warriors - the Nords.

Overview

Description (TES III)

The citizens of Skyrim are aggressive and fearless in war, industrious and enterprising in trade and exploration. Strong, stubborn, and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold, even magical frost. Violence is an accepted and comfortable aspect of Nord culture; Nords of all classes are skilled with a variety of weapon and armor styles, and they cheerfully face battle with an ecstatic ferocity that shocks and appalls their enemies.

OOC

Nords take most of their influence from a fantastical interpretation of our own world's Vikings. They utilize many Scandinavian words, customs, and aesthetics as well as emphasize similarities in their religion such as their Sovngarde being relatable to Valhalla. However, there are key distinctions between them such as the typically lawful good morality shared among most citizens and their adherence to a government. The Holds, though independent to an extent, still respect the mantle and authority of Skyrim's High King, and have likewise found themselves among the peoples of the Empire before. They also tend to be considerably superstitious and faithful to that which they deem to be divine intervention. That said, all nords are not the same and as a fiercely independent people many tend to diverge from the majority of the populous on various issues ranging from morality to religion and even living standards. They even have off-shoots such as the Roscreans, the Ternions, and the Skaal.

Appearance

Nords are fair skinned and fair haired, usually tying their locks or beards in braids. They often brand themselves with tattoos and adorn modest jewelry. They are hardy and brawny standing as the largest of the human races on Tamriel, and often have distinct Scandinavian or Eastern European sounding accents. Although versed in any armaments as a society, they tend to favor apparel made from woven cloth and/or furs and leathers as harvested from the wildlife abundantly found in their icy homeland when not their armor. Their styles can range from expensive finery in brilliant colors for special occasions or royalty to loincloths and ragged furs suited to men of the wild. Often times what they are wearing is representative of the distinct style of their hold of origin, commonly maintaining a visage of the symbology or color of their clan. Despite their frozen region, it's not uncommon for nords to be lightly dressed as they have natural resistance to the harsh cold, though they are not immune. They are typically muscular and strong and reflect this in the way they carry themselves.

Culture

Nords vary in their beliefs and morality on some levels, but overall they are raised having a genuine respect for honor and glory in battle. "Sovngarde awaits those who die with a weapon in their hand and a song in their heart." They can come off as abrasive to outsiders whom they don't know, but demonstrating your martial prowess and courage is the fastest way into their arms for a burly bear hug or forearm clasp. They tend to value physical strength over other attributes, more from their culture's history with malicious daedra and magical elves than from an inherent bigotry. They genuinely distrust magic and look down on deception and cowardice. They have a love for mead and ale like few other races, as well as singing and the telling of tales around a warm hearth. Their land is harsh and unforgiving and has led them to develop a society that values self reliance and fortitude in all aspects of life, and thus they are not the most charitable of people. They primarily survive on hunting and agriculture, build their homes and boats out of timber and when not inside the high walls of a city their cabins are out in the open of the forests. Both men and women are treated equally in Nord culture, and both are likely to punch you in the face for speaking out of line, being stuck up or haughty, or just because they like you and want to have a 'friendly brawl' to test you. When they aren't trying to best each other in feats of strength they are filling the air with song and stories, and all of their Legends live on immortalized by bards. For despite their lumbering arms and powerful axes, it is well known that a Nords most powerful weapon is their voice.

Combat

Nords have a natural talent for melee combat, being the best suited to two handed weapons and the most versatile users of armor. They are ferocious on the field of battle, charging into the fray with loud shouts and heavy swings. Their ancestors came here as conquerors and it is not uncommon for the average Nord to believe that it's their destiny to battle until their death. Upon dying in the glory of a fight it is said that they are awarded by the goddess Kyne with the 'Kiss at the End' and brought to Sovngarde. So central is this culture of fighting that even once in the realm of the afterlife before they reach Shor's glorious hall across the Whale Bone Bridge, they must pass one final test in battle against his Shield-Thane Tsun before being granted entry into the ever lasting feast. However despite their natural abilities, Nords are industrious and many find their prowess in hunting with ranged weapons or even embracing magic to combat their foes. Whatever their tactic, all Skyrim's sons and daughters embrace the idea that to be honorable is to die valiantly in battle, but they most certainly prefer to win.

Clever Men and Women

WiP

The Nords in the 2nd Era

152 years prior to the events of ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE, the previous Reman Empire came to and end with the assassination of the emperor and with him his followers including the then High King of Skyrim. Following his death, the Nords sought to choose a new High King in the ways of their tradition using the mystical Crown of Verity in place of the lost Jagged Crown. However, in 2E431 Svartr of Solitude challenged the legitimacy of its selected host Freydis, and convened a moot to decide the realm's fate. They chose him, and the resulting fracture of agreement launched Skyrim into a Schism that split the east and west into separate realms. Freydis's descendants ruled from Windhelm in the east and Svartr's from Solitude in the west. Their culture's diverged in many ways notably today such as nobility and hierarchical society reminiscent of their imperial roots in the west vs the more traditional Atmoranesque style of the East. In the year 572, the Akaviri invaded Windhelm and led to the creation of the Ebonheart Pact comprised of Argonia, Morrowind, and Eastern Skyrim and under the command of Jorunn the Skald King. The story has since evolved along its own course and inevitably in the annuads of time will be forgotten, relegated to only the vague memory of the interregnum. But for now, it goes on in our Role Play communities and is limited by nothing more than the imaginations of the people who strive to portray this proud race of children from the sky.

Author's Notes

This is widely my interpretation of the lore of my favorite race in TES. I've happily studied and played these characters since the release of TES III Morrowind and am studied in endless hours of books, articles and videos. HOWEVER - this writing is in no way meant to gatekeep or limit your RP experience. It is simple a consolidation of the most common fundamentals as I see them and meant to guide new or unfamiliar players on how they might first approach this race. I highly encourage everyone who enjoys Nords to do their own research, play other games and read source material so as to enhance their experience, and if you take away anything from this I hope it's that these are a people who value their ability to strive to do anything they want. So should you. Thanks for reading!