Well, not quite everything, but the main parts. Since we can't really speculate unless everyone is on the same lore page, I figured I'd post a short list of required reading.

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/pocket-guide-empire-first-edition-skyrim - I've linked the Skyrim section, but http://www.imperial-library.info/content/pocket-guide-empire-first-edition-cyrodiil and the rest of the guide is well worth reading. Its heavily bias pro-Skyrim and pro-Empire, but it gives us some of the best insights into Skyrim culture and history.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/pocket-guide-empire-third-edition-throat-world-skyrim - more recent, with info about history and Skyrim events at the end of the 3rd era.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/morrowind-children-sky - general information on Nord culture and good info on Thu'um.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/morrowind-frontier-conquest-and-accommodation-social-history-cyrodiil - describes some early Nordic history.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/oblivion-five-songs-king-wulfharth - Summaries of Nordic legends, more mythological than historical. Valuable for their interpretation of important Tamrielic events. The http://www.imperial-library.info/content/morrowind-arcturian-heresy is its sequel, and also worth a read.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/morrowind-sovngarde-reexamination - the Nordic view of the afterlife.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/races-tamriel-nord - contains descriptions of Nords from various games, pictures of them, and a comprehensive list of their gods.

The following links were written by Michael Kirkbride, a contractor for Bethesda, and have not appeared in game.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/seven-fights-aldudagga - a series of Nordic legends. Great for mythology and Nordic culture, particularly the nature of Alduin.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/nords-lack-creation-myth - an interview with a Nord about their mythology. Again, a good cultural indicator.
http://www.imperial-library.info/content/shor-son-shor - a theoretical creation [hi]story.

Thank you, this is really neat. I don't know much about the lore but I would like to know some things.

Thank you Lady Nerevar. This will help me make sense of things. :mohawk:

Cool, thanks. I hope they put some of this stuff in, like "Gathering his legendary Five Hundred Companions (whose names are still recited every Thirteenth of Sun's Dawn at the Feast of the Dead in Windhelm),". Would be cool to see festivals and stuff that only happen at the right time of year.

Great collection of info!
Maybe a compilation of TES dragon lore will be useful as well.

Nice summary for the unknowing like me, tnx!

Thanks Lady. I hope your finals are going as well as my papers.

I began reading some of this stuff straight after the announcement, thanks for putting it all in one place so that I don't miss anything out.
School work can take a back seat, TES Lore is far, far more important.
^_^

You're just mocking me, aren't ya? I might find a way to combine the two - expect Abbigliamento, Antiche e Moderne, delle Province Settentrionali*, with copious illustrations, sometime around Christmas. Appendixes concerning the silk trade (esp. its impacts on the monastical structure of the Nibenay), trousseaux, and the depiction of fashion in art to follow at a later date.


*"Clothing, Ancient and Modern, of the Northern Provinces." Please forgive my horrible Italian.

[edit] For those of you who are not some sort of crazy Rennaisance geeks, thats a reference to Habiti Antichi et Moderni, by Cesare Veccellio, which was a popular and important fashion encyclopedia in the 16th century.

Thanks, great stuff.
It's also going to help a lot with making a few Nord role playing characters for Morrowind and Oblivion.

I wouldn't dream of mocking. I'm doing the same thing. It's crunch time for me, too!

Either way, I'm think this thread should be stickied for reference. Just saying.

From the Imperial Libruary
The city-state of Dragonstar continues to be divided into western and eastern sections, walled off from one another, each with its own government, and each with an atmosphere of mistrust and fear. There are few days without an act of terror from one resistance group or another,

I really hope that this area is split the way that the Lore describes. It could be fun to partake in the Terror attacks described or even lead one side to complete vicrory

Thsnks for putting all this info together...it has been an interesting read!

thank you for this compendium!

maybe I can repay you with some help: "abbigliamento, antico e moderno, delle province settentrionali" is the correct translation

Who knows, maybe MK will give us something new and shiny for Christmas and we can get a better picture of whoever "they" are.

Awesome list of Skyrim lore for the unlearned. (Bump in disguise)

Something is missing. I remember reading about some odd adventure in Skyrim from a book in Morrowind. I think it was Skyrim lol.

I'll get round to read this later.

Here is your reward :spotted owl:

Didn't you forget the following book:

http://www.imperial-library.info/content/morrowind-children-sky

That I did, thanks.

Does anyone know if MK will be joining us this time around?

No idea, but given that he wrote a bunch of stuff for Skyrim already my guess is he is involved in some capacity.

I sure hope so. I can't imagine TES without some of MK's insanity.

Lady Nerevar...thanks for taking the time to compile this information. Good reading. I hope Skyrim pulls more lore into the game.

Thanks for posting this. I had forgotten so much about Wulfharth



Seconded.

A temporary sticky is at least in order.