Maybe this isn't specifically racial animosity that I'm thinking of but is it just me or the Khajiit very unfriendly neighbors? They don't seem to abide with Valenwood OR Blackmarsh, and in some ways they even defy the empire, although they don't seem to go so far as actually attacking the empire directly they certainly cause a lot of trouble via smuggling, banditry, rebellion, and what not.

But is there a real recorded history for this sort of war mongering behavior? I know that they aren't fond of Bosmer under the merit that they sort of consider them their black sheep cousins. I can also understand why they wouldn't like the empire, because the empire is in power and nobody likes the top dog. But why do they dislike Argonians? I'd almost think they'd have a certain level of respect for one another since they've both been kind of a repressed race. Is it just that Khajiits are naturally antagonistic? I guess it wouldn't be that surprising. They ARE a nomadic people who even fight amongst themselves quite a bit, so they're not strangers to conflict. Khajiits also seem to catch a lot of flak from each of the other races, but the thing about the Khajiit is they are proud enough as a race to remember such slights, but are sneaky enough to pay you back when you least expect it.

And in consideration for their pride, are they just trying to sort of lord over Tamriel in their own sneaky Khajiit way? They seem to be, as a race, about as proud as Dunmer or even Altmer, even if they aren't quite as vocal about it. Such that they are basically willing to set aside their internal conflicts to unite against a common enemy when it's go time, eg. against the Bosmer.

ps. This is basically my first real post here. I'm not a lore vet, (yet) just been with TES for a while now, so forgive if some of this is kinda obvious. Just bored and wanted to test the waters a bit :\

Well, concerning the Bosmers, they have been at war with the Khajiits, so... (right now I RP a bosmer that kills every Khajiit in Cyrodiil )

Idk about the argonians. I have also heard that some Khajiits refer to them as "less that human, and MUCH less than Khajiit". But you're right, one should think that they would stick together as repressed races.

I'm not good with lore either, but I'm pretty sure someone will give you a good answer in no time.

Welcome to the forums btw.

The Khajiit have a different moral outlook, and that causes problems. Their sense of 'property' is hazy, and that probably extends to land rights as well.

Well, it's said the Khajiit and the Bosmer are too much alike to leave each other alone.
Q: Why do the Bosmer fortify the border with Elsweyr?
A: Because if they don't, the border moves.

The conflict between Khajiit and Argonians is most acute in southern Cyrodiil, where they are forced to compete with each other for the scraps left by the Imperial upper class. I think that there it's an animosity born of competition to survive, not a general hatred of one for the other. It's sufficient to explain the level of animosity seen in Oblivion, anyway.

And the Khajiit claim to superiority comes from their foundational legends: at least some of them believe they were appointed the "secret guardians of Nirni" by Azurah herself. They have the calling, and the ability, to climb the Lunar Lattice and set the world right. They can see the continuity of the world through a Dragon Break, when other races are "giving birth to their fathers", though this may be because they're too stoned on sugar to notice that anything happened.

See:
http://www.imperial-library.info/obscure_text/complete_dragonbroke.shtml
http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/clanmother.shtml

Moon Sugar does not have an intoxicating effect on Khajiit. They eat it every day to no ill effect. Only processed Skooma makes them high, and most of them don't use it. This is from the new novel.

Good point, thanks. So R'leyt-harhr is speaking the truth when he says, "Do you mean, where were the Khajiit when the Dragon Broke? R'leyt tells you where: recording it. 'One thousand eight years,' you've heard it. You think the Cyro-Nordics came up with that all on their own. You humans are better thieves than even Rajhin! While you were fighting wars with phantoms and giving birth to your own fathers, it was the Mane that watched the ja-Kha'jay, because the moons were the only constant, and you didn't have the sugar to see it." [Where Were You When the Dragon Broke]?

I'd say it's more like if they don't compete with the bosmer, Valenwood would encroach on Elswyer. The book http://www.imperial-library.info/mwbooks/danceinfire.shtml seems to support this when one of the the non-bosmer and khajiit characters noted that the bosmer wonder why the khajiit makes war with them, because the forests keeps moving right towards the khajiit.

Here's the quote, from the nord

Looking away from the nord's hatred towards elves, he does make the point that the bosmer are slowly encroaching on territory that's not theirs.

When it comes down to it, I believe Khajiit are the most mysterious race in TES, part of the reasn i want TESV to take place in Elsweyr.

You can actually apply a little bit of cat-psychology here. Cats are highly independent, proud, and will hardly bend to someone's desires unless they themselves at that moment feel like it. The only way you can get a cat to do something it doesn't want to do is by taking it kicking and screaming, so to speak. Khajiit, while a bit more social, still retain a great sense of independence (hence tribal warlords, the heavy regionalism, etc.) and, as mentioned above, are very proud.

Meaningless anthropomorphism. Cats are independent, yes; in that they hunt alone. An advlt cat is self-sufficient. Cat society is a libertarian anarchist's wet dream: they've got some areas that are considered "shared territory" where they can meet peacefully, but otherwise each cat does what it wants on its own territory. No leader, no underling. The very concept of "bending to someone else's desires" is simply alien to them because they don't have this kind of relationships. In a cat society, the dominant cat is not the one which leads the rest, it's the one that can claim the territory it wants without challengers.

The traits we ascribe to them -- aloofness, pride, detachment, etc. -- are simply the result of the absence of pack/herd mentality. Human domesticated dogs and horses as partners, chicken and cows as food sources, but cats? Cats were domesticated as self-replicating mousetraps. Contrarily to other domesticated animals, cats were never bred (until very recently) for specific purposes. We've bred dogs to adapt them to a lot of roles (hunt assistant of several kinds, herd management, guardians), we've bred chicken for their egg-laying capacity, we've bred cows for their milk production, we've bred horses for their speed or their strength, etc. We haven't bred cats because they were already perfect for the role they've adopted in our society: protecting our homes and our crops from rodent depredations.

Actual feline ethology is about completely offtopic when talking about Khajiit. The resemblance are superficial at most, and often feel tacked on, like "hey we need to make our furry race furrier to increase its appeal with the furry demographics" type of tacked on.

That's what I was thinking, and on top of that you have the fierce breeds based on tigers, jaguars and other big cats, I can see these having a natural disposition towards violence.

I jumped on the Pocket Guides for a quick peek and I found some interesting quotes pertaining to the questions.



"There is no standing army in Elsweyr, and the catmen have never shown an expansionist inclination. In fact, they have lost territory in the last fifty years with the secession of their rim territories "

"Elsweyr has withdrew itself into a secrecy that has scarcely been breached in five hundred years."

It seems that Elsweyr isnt aggressive and is simply self absorbed.



"They have engaged in wars with Valenwood on grounds that have constantly shifted, like the sands of Elsweyr itself."

It was said in one of the in-game books or a rumor in Oblivion or somewhere that the Khajiits attacked because the Bosmer wiped out one of their villages in response to cutting down trees (possibly to hold back the forest growth?). Theres no hard evidence so its most likely just typical border raids that piss off one side or the other and starts a conflict. I remember a khajiit saying that there is always some sort of fighting going on between Vallenwood and Elswyre.



"The old kingdom of Anequina is its northern section, and has historically offered no threat to either the early Cyro-Nords or the later Cyrodiliic Empires"

"Human relations have been minimal in the intervening years, but there is talk that the Elsweyr Confedracy has recently struck treaty with the Aldmeri Dominion, a situation that, if true, may force the catmen into another bloody confrontation with the Cyrodilic masters of Tamriel."

"The Rimmen (literally, the "Rim Men," as the khajiit called them) joined their brothers to try to rebuild the Empire. This effort was doomed to failure, but not before the khajiit attempted to reclaim their lands in a series of bloody border wars."

"The Khajiit have found security in being absorbed into the Cyrodilic and then the Septim Empires, only to rebel against both"

It seems, from these snippets, that the Khajiit are simply opportunists that jump at any chance to reclaim their land no matter who they fight but aren't particularly hungry for more territory.



"Chieftains forgot their ancient sugar-vendettas and signed treaties of their own"

"On the whole, the catmen of Elsweyr are a bestial lot, victims of their own preternatural anatomies. They are quick to anger, unpredictable, and dangerous"

Elswyre is a chaotic place. The north is in a perpetual power struggle over watering holes, trade routes, ariable land, ect. while the South doesnt have a solid group of leaders other than the Mane. Add into the equation a well entrenched mafia-esque drug lord(s) and peace and quiet isn't likely any time soon.



"Until relatively recently, the nearly constant insurrection and tribal warfare among the catmen rarely troubled the stage of history"

The Khajiit arent concerned for Tamriel, it seems. They just want their sugar and to be left alone.




"This sugar has a variety of uses; it is alternately a seasoning and a magical ingredient, a source of communion with the holy moons and a dangerous and addictive drug"

"Humans, it seems, are even more susceptible to the effects of the moon-sugar than the catmen themselves"

"By partaking of the sugar, the khajiit believes they are consuming small portions of their gods' eternal souls. This drives them into fits of ecstasy and abandon, and the streets of Elsweyr's major cities are full of catmen shivering in the grip of sugar fits"

They use it daily and therefore have a high tolerance but it does get them high apparently