Can someone explain if the Nerevarine is Dovahkiin? If he was, would he be able to absorb dragon souls and use Thu'um? I seem to recall Todd Howard saying that the Dragonborn in Skyrim is different from the any other Dragonborn, how so?

I believe consensus was that "Dragon-Born" in that prophecy referred to the fact that the Nerevarine was born in the Empire, under the "Dragon".

Not sure if I buy that.

I like to think the Nerevarine was a Dragonborn, but there is no conclusive proof of that. The in-game explanation for the "dragon-born" part of the prophesy was that it just means the Nerevarine is from the Empire, but that could just as easily be characters misinterpreting a millennia-old prophesy.

I also think there's a degree of parallelism between the Amulet of Kings and Moon-and-Star with that whole "only the Chosen One can where it" thing; perhaps the ring is another Dragonborn-focused artifact.

I highly doubt the Nerevarine is the Dragonborn, even though that's interesting to think about.

Isn't it for you to decide?

Nerevarine is immortal by age. If ya want, one can say their PC was the Nerevarine, nobody ganna stop ya from that if that how ya roleplay.


I take mantling over chosen-one anyday.

Dragonborn is a concept that was invented for Skyrim.

If it had said Dragon-Blood, then maybe it would have meant something other than 'from Cyrodiil, servin Imperial interests.'

There has to be some sort of correlation between being Dragon-Blooded, The Amulet of kings, and the Dragon-Born.
I mean, the Dragon-Born have dragon blood with in their veins as well, did they not?

That's incorrect, Dragonborn was mentioned in Oblivion and before that too - St. Alessia was in fact the first Dragonborn, and of course Talos/Tiber Septim is mentioned many times, I think in Morrowind too, and not sure if in the previous games too but probably.

Dragon-Blood = Dragonborn, or more accurately Dragonborn = Dragon Blood since being born with the 'blessing/curse' of Dragonborn means you have Dragonblood flowing in your veins.

Maybe Nerevarine was Cliffracerborn, mighty slayer of Cliffracers

The nerevarine was some random [censored] who happened to be born under a vague set of conditions, and only needed to fulfill a vague set of conditions set by Azura.

Yes, but is it plausible for the Nerevarine to also be the Dhovakiin? (for those of us, for role-play purposes, who wish to use our same character from previous games). Being the Dragonborn is a blessing/curse, not something that is passed down through bloodlines like how the Septim bloodline was structure, right? (and so with that, the dhovakiin could also never have put on the amulet of kings)

Along those same lines, for my own personal knowledge, my nerevarine is a male Dark Elf, who I am also wanting to be the dhovakiin, but ONLY if it is believable and plausible as far as lore goes. If the dunmer nerevarine also being the dhovakiin tampers with the lore too much, then I'm willing to rework my fanfic stories.

I'm sure there are other players who are wanting to carry over their past characters too and are wanting to know the same information I am curious about.

Sure, it's possible. Also, with the Amulet of Kings, it was less about being a Septim, and more about having the will and power to rule. The Septims, pretty much, inherit this will and power.

Think of it in terms like The Totem of Tiber Septim. Hell, I'm pretty sure Gortwag could have worn it too.

Yes it's possible. As you noted it's a blessing, therefore if not being able to wear the Amulet is the issue you need only say that you weren't blessed yet at that point.

Well, if you ask me, the CoC was the side man, the delivery boy for Martin Septim. I think the story was really about Martin Septim and CoC's goal was to help him achieve his goal.

Possible, yes. But is any other race being the dhovakiin believable? As in, don't you think the nordic community would scoff at the very idea of a high elf or argonian being their savior who will defeat alduin and save the land from the world eater? I'm presuming the nords have in mind their "dhovakiin" to look like the one Bethesda used in their trailor. I imagine an elf arriving on scene claiming to be the dhovakiin would transpire much like the scene in Blazing Saddles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=upvZdVK913I#t=63s
(picture the banner saying "welcome dhovakiin") lol

It's a simple fact that the concept of having the soul of a dragon and being able to slay them is something that was created after Bethesda developers decided to put dragons in TES V. So far as I can tell, Dragonborn before Skyrim was just a generic honorific for the Septims. The Dragon is the symbol of the empire, on all their coins and banners. As simple as that.


There are no references to dragon blood before Oblivion. At least, not as having significance for the covenant, the Imperial throne, etc.

We didn't even know what dragon blood meant, or much at all about Alessia before Oblivion's lore.

Sure, inasmuch as the Nerevarine having been whatever race the player chose was believable. The gods don't play racial favoritism in who they destine to save the world. Maybe the gods chose a Bosmer dragonborn in order to teach the Nords a lesson on not being such racist douchers, same with the Nerevarine towards the Dunmer.

Of course, you would have to re-write the dialog of most MQ characters to make the narrative believable. But Morrowind's NPC were mostly walking encyclopedias, and communicating with them was as much an abstraction as the Oblivion persuasion wheel.

There were only a few times when I felt like I was having a genuine conversation in that game.

And an altmer dovahkiin? Shor was trollin' for the lulz.

Man, that's a very good eye-opening theory, Luagar.
The way I have it designed for my story is that with the creation of the Nerevarine by the gods, it takes a lot out of them to create, as is evident in the et'ada's creation of the Mundus. (Somebody correct me if I'm making mistakes). And so for the dhovakiin, they (gods) decided when they made the nerevarine to also make him the dhovakiin as well. But he wouldn't discover his dhovakiin powers until 200 years later. Maybe I should save that for the fanfic section. But I'm more interested in whether it is lore correct and lore believable. I really need to look at all my notes and rough drafts and piece it all together. We need proweler in this thread! Not that Hellmouth isn't at Proweler's level of expertise. Or 1999 or Lady Nerevar for that matter (or dark matter (sorry, was watching an episode on String Theory on Nova just now)).


That's what mods are for! When pelagiad Expanded is done, you'll be able to have deep conversations with scholars about aetherius with many options. But that's for another section. This is Lore section.

I don't see any problem with it, just one small thing though. No matter what race your Nerevarine was/is doesn't really matter. He or she will never be a Dunmer, even a Dark Elf Nerevarine is considered an outsider in Morrowind because he or she wasn't raised there....

Well yes, of course. In fact, just for my own personal game experience, I made a mod for myself that makes my character's disposition at 0 so that everybody hates him. The vanilla game is way too kiddy and friendly for me. I want to be treated like shee-it and scum when I go to these provinces.
I think you worded it incorrectly. A dunmer is a dark elf is a dunmer. It's the same thing, just different terminology. The imperials use the phrase dark elf and the dark elves themselves refer to themselves as dunmer. But since my nerevarine dark elf was born and raised in summer set isles, he/she does not have a raspy voice from the ash and dust of Vvardenfell (assuming that is why their voices are raspy). Which thus makes it obvious that he/she is an outsider and according to lore, dunmer hate outlandish dark elves the most more than other races who are also not from Vvardenfell.