In lore, the humans are the most boring race. The beast races and elves have unique cultures, but the humans are just generic fantasy in comparision. The only interesting humans are the Redguards, but even they aren't as interesting as Dunmer and Dwemer. The elven religions are our best source on metaphysics, while the human religions are much simpler and more boring. While Altmer live in giant crystal palaces, Bosmer live in walking giant trees, Dunmer live in fungus and crabs while Dwemer have underground fortresses, human architecture is just as boring. I sorta feel that humans don't have any importance in the grand scheme of things. Sure there are Emperors and Shezzarines and whatnot, but they are individuals, and I am measuring importance on the racial scale. Despite how unique they are compared to other fantasy cultures, that uniqueness is spoiled by the even more unique elves. I probably screwed up with describing and got a million things wrong, so I'll get to my main point. I just want a human culture that is as alien as the Dunmer or Dwemer.

I'd say the Nibeneans were rather interesting pre-retcon; Maybe not as alien as the Mer, but not as bland as Oblivion, either. There's also the Kothringi.. or.. there -were- the Kothringi. Poor dears.

Wouldn't that take away from the "alien-ness" of the elves though?

Besides, I wouldn't call the human races "boring." Sure, they're more recognizably "human", as we know them to be on Earth, but I think that's kind of the point.

They are just normal Cyrodillians with slightly weirder religions, more colourful clothes and tattoos.

Being normal is boring. Being more normal for the sake of being normal isn't a good idea. That is why the main character of a story is usually the least interesting, because the author tries to make them more normal.

Define "normal"?

Depends on person to person. But most people would agree that too much normal is boring.

Let's be clear, Non-Reacher Bretons are boring.

All other mannish races have pretty wicked lore.

Alinor is quite matter-of-fact a whimsical oeuvre of gnostic Alexandria. I've heard tell of human gnosis in Cyrodiil, but this is ridiculous. The humans believe in the elven lie, which they do not see, which originated in the Temples of His Primal Step, Alinor bloc1138; but they do not have a full-orbed understanding. They did, in Reman's Cyrodiil.

Temple Zero's Hjalroche is mouthwatering.

Starring Robert Duvall.

That's a matter of opinion. I personally think the humans are most interesting

Your first mistake is calling them "humans." The Redguards are radically different from the Nibeneans, who are radically different from the Nords. Once you examine their specific customs and beliefs (as presented within lore), they are just as "interesting" as any of the elven or beast races.

Also, The Reman.

Dear God The Reman...

Boring?

Nahhhhhhh.

As interesting as the other races lore?

Nope.

I find that the most standard WRPG medieval Europe society (the Bretons) isn't even completely human, but human-elf hybrids fascinating. The fact that they are the only "normal" ones makes them weird.

I think it depends on your perspective and what you want out of your fantasy world. George R. R. Martin and Raymond E. Feist have both made fascinating and enthralling fantasy worlds, even though they both center on very familiar fantasy tropes (knights, dragons, warring kingdoms, etc.). At least to me, familiar doesn't necessarily mean bad. And TES is only generic at the most superficial level. What other gameworld has Hindu/Egyptian influences in their Viking culture?

who's to say the elves and beast races don't find themselves to be boring and think the "humans" are exotic and alien?

Its all perspective, it just seems boring because we're used to it. But like what someone before said, it makes them seem even more alien to have the contrast between "human" and everything else..

Now if we can see a stereotypical 'Eastern' culture redefined through sumerian and mesoamerican elements, we'll be set! Oh, wait...

Humans get Pelinal Whitestrake and Tiber Septim. End of discussion.

*shrug* Agree to disagree. Cyrodiil was eminently familiar, but I liked it regardless. The imperials are the cultural straight man of Tamriel.

You've put it better than I have.

I don't find them boring. They're simply less foreign to our real-world frame of reference. Doesn't make them any less interesting to me.

OP is right, the humans are the most boring of the races.

If I ever decided to make a big burly warrior character for example I would never choose to be a Nord. They're just too boring and generic. I'd much rather be an orc, since they have lots of really unique and interesting lore behind them.

They're not boring.

Just not as interesting as the Dunmer.

Nailed it.

It is in some ways kind of unfair. Morrowind felt like someone really truly tried to make them a real culture with vulnerabilities and strengths, white, grey and black elements to the culture that made some things despicable and others impressive. Interesting and very believable conflicts between various parts of their culture and a rather interesting history that you can see in the people. I think they just got more attention. Then you have to realize they feel more alien to us because of certain things injected rather smoothly into their culture like giant mushroom and crab houses with giant insects and weird domesticated animals. The Dunmer merely have more detail going for them. So we know more about them and that's why they seem more interesting to some of us.

The Humans are very identifiable for us on a superficial level and that is all that matters to most people. If you look at their cultures and ignore the obvious superficial oddities you see they all are actually quite realized and interesting cultures.

Humans are not boring, they are familiar. Familiar means a penchant for thinking they are just like something you have seen before and thus nothing special and surely there is very little of interest below the surface because it will just be like the others.

The human races are not as alien as the other ones and I think that is sort of the point. They seem, however, to be more than the generic "human" race many other fantasy games use.