The same i felt playing as the Nerevarine as anything other than a dunmer; Doesn't really fit but if you don't think about it it doesn't bother so much

My dude is a Redguard Dragonborn. Don't care about it at all because the lore made it clear that anyone could be a dragonborn. It is a mystery of the blessing of Akatosh and not restrained to race or bloodline.

I feel that is time for the kahjiiti to save the world. Again. You dare question Alkosh's wisdom?

I don't agree with you here. In MW, you had no physical evidence to back up your claim. Therefore, for people not to doubt you would require an act of faith. In Skyrim, your character proves he is the dragonborn by his physical ability to authentically shout and, at least in Whiterun, it is known that the Whitebeards summoned you, and only you, with earnest. There is much to back up your claim in Skyrim. Anyone who doubts it would have to be in an obstinate state of denial.

The Emperors were dragonborn and were not Nords.

My first and main character is a Bosmer archer, and fits the Dovahkiin slot pretty well in my eyes. I've never played as a Nord. Its the only race ive never made a character for. I dont think i will, either.

I feel odd having a non-nord Dragonborn, so generally they're the only characters who touch the main quest. I think an Imperial would be 'acceptable' though, given their links to Talos and shared ancestry with the Nords.

I felt the same way in Morrowind with the Nerevarine, and only advanced very far in the main quest if I were playing a Dunmer.

Obviously in Oblivion it didn't matter much, so in some ways it was 'nicer' that I could play any character I want and feel like I wasn't stepping on toes lorewise. I mean come on, an effeminate, Breton dovahkiin? A Khajiit or Argonian Nerevarine? They're funny to imagine but clearly don't fit well, especially in the last case sense the Nerevarine is supposed to drive the 'N'wah' from Morrowind and restore its former traditions and practices, which includes more open slavery.

Funnily enough, my first Dragonborn character was a Breton female.

I just role-played that she didn't much care about it, but yeah, you'd think some Nords would have something to say if their famed legendary hero was...a Breton girl, and not a manly Nord of manliness.

It's weird though. It's like they were all, "Oh, hey! You're a Breton lass, as well as a Dovahkiin? Okay! We totally accept this, even though we hate magic, and you lot are closely connected to the damned Altmers! Come then, let us drink Nordic ale and sing bawdy Nordic songs about the Dragonborn!"



It's even weirder to hear an Argonian shout like a Nord.

In Oblivion, I think it was more of a 'Hey, if you think you can help us stop the demonic hordes, then good! Take this sword!' No one many any metion about how the Champion of Cyrodiil had to an Imperial.

Lizards can't be dragonborn? A dragon isn't a mammal, so for that fact alone I think Argonians are best suited. Yes it's an ancient Nord art, but wasn't it taught to them by an ancient dragon? I could be wrong there and gotten some wires crossed, and I can't remember where I heard that so feel free to correct me.

A Dragonborn can naturally use the Thu'um, they are born with the ability even if they don't know it. There is nothing to say that it's a racial power so I don't get why people make such a big deal about non-Nord Dragonborns

Recently started an Argonian battlemage and he looks kind of badass in this role.

It did seem odd when, having completed the M.Q., bards in inns would sing their 'Dragonborn' song and they never inserted a verse along the lines of
As Nords trueborn
We wondered and boggled that
The fabled Dragonborn
... Was a freaking big Ginger Cat

... (With a Bulgarian accent)

Aside from that, never really bothered me RP wise... just assumed it was cosmic justice for them being so parochial.

I thought I would have a hard idea with the concept. I chose Altmer the first time through. But I think they did a good job of really not discerning between the races once you are ingame. This time I am playing a Nord, but I don't really feel any more at home in Skyrim as I did with the Altmer. i think I would feel comfortable as Dragonborn with any race.

Or a really awful job, because they don't really discern between races once you are ingame.

I can't see why any race can't be a dragonborn, no one ever said it has to be a Nord, and it's your soul that's blessed, not strictly Nord, I can't imagine a racist Akatosh.

Nope, Argonians for the win.

That's how I feel. The one 'choice' they still let us have when creating a character becomes meaningless pretty quickly.

You don't think the Nords would find it a bit odd to see a Khajiit or an Argonian naturally shout, considering everyone who's ever harnessed the Thu'um so far up until that point has been a Nord?
Sure ok.

Source?

What do you mean source?

What he said is basically true, anyone associated with the thu'um in lore has been a Nord. There's certainly no such thing as a Khajiit or Argonian Dragonborn or Master of the Voice outside of a player created character in Skyrim.

I mean I would like to see the source for myself. The only previous Dragonborn I can think of is Tiber Septim, and yes I know he was of Nord descent, but that doesn't mean that every one of them has been Nord.

The very fact that there is no set in stone story to TES games (if there was, you'd have to complete questlines in certain orders) would suggest that it's non-canon, therefore what does it matter, at the end of the day?

I get that people don't like the idea of non-Nord Dragonborns, though I don't understand why, but why try and take it away from other people?

No one wants you to take the option away from you. In fact most Elder Scrolls players (myself included) are libertarian when it comes to choices - I might not agree with the way you want to build or play your character, but I don't want to take this options away from you, so long as no one wants to take options away from me. The point of this thread was personal opinions, not suggestions for gameplay changes. And maybe also a consensus that in the next Elder Scrolls game it would be better if your character's role was more 'racial neutral', like the Champion of Cyrodiil as opposed to the Nerevarine and/or Dovahkiin.


If I recall, Ysgramor, Wulfarth, all of the Greybeards, and many of the early Nord kings/heroes also used the Thu'um, in addition to Tiber Septim.

Nord: "You cursed ash-devil! Go back to Morrowind!"
Me: *puts on "I went to Sovngarde, kicked Tsun's [censored] and All I Got Was this Lousy T-Shirt" t-shirt*
Nord: *reaches for Prozac*

Yeah, it's kind of like that.

I do wish that there was some reaction to me being a non-Nord. Not just "he unleashes a Thu'um!" but "By Talos' manly mustache! This Dark Elf can Shout? What's the world coming to?"

I guess I could've worded that better, I didn't literally mean taking the option away from others, I meant the feeling or their opinions.

I can understand the want for a more racially neutral role, but I suppose we'll have to wait until the next one comes out to see what we get (would be nice if we didn't start off as a prisoner, too)


The Greybeards, while Thu'um weilding Nords, are not Dragonborn.

Even if it is true about all previous Dragonborns being Nord, that doesn't mean they all have to be.

But hey, it's all down to personal opinion anyway.

Dunmer Dragonborn is kind of funny, too.

Personally, I felt it was kind of strange to allow any race to be the Dragonborn. I think I preferred being the Champion of Cyrodiil (CoC) where I was the hero, but not the center of attention. I would prefer if, in the next installment of the Elder Scrolls, my character was more akin to the CoC and resembled the Dragonborn less.

Yes, I think it is a bit awkward to play a non-Nord Dragonborn, especially an elven one. I don't care though. I prefer to play elves to Nords so I guess the Nords in my games are going to have to deal with the fact that their beloved hero is an elf.