Hello
I've been trying to find information regarding a potential capital of Argonia but with no success, so i decided to come here and ask for for your help.
Does Black marsh have a capital, if so which city is it, or is it too decentralized? And if there is no capital from where is the imperial governor?

Regards
The Mage

There's not much of any central authority in Black Marsh, which seems to function better the less anybody tries to govern it. Gideon is a significant center of Imperial presence, making it maybe the closest thing to a capital, but Imperial ideas of law and order make little impression outside the cities. The Argonians were able to raise an army as recently as the Arnesian War, so I'd presume the cities are capable of acting in a sort of confederacy, but I wouldn't presume much more than that.

I prefer to fantasize that their main leaders are hidden away in some sort of underwater bubble city, built into the roots of a massive Hist growing from the middle of a huge black Lagoon, and the waters are filled with diseases and savage were crocodiles that attack Imperials but not Argonians.

If you have a better idea I'd like to hear it.

Sounds a bit like the Gungans from Star Wars
I love Jar Jar...

That's what I was going for actually, for inspiration. It could make sense, since they all breathe water perfectly fine.

(wayne's world screenwave)



T: what's this? a gungan frozen in carbonite?



T: HA I knew it! wer got lucky and jar Jar was killed! Not in a glorious manner like battle of course, but while doing something humiliating and demeaning!

(wayne's world screenwave)

Heh heh heh heh...

Oh, yeah, the Argonians, well I think the Hist count as thier leaders, and since they're primarily tribal the Hist probably call them togather when it comes time to muster for war.

Well that fits into lore to the best of my knowledge. Didn't they say during the Oblivion Crisis that the Hist called Argonians back to defend them?

Quoted from PGE3: Black Marsh

Certainly nothing definitive in the slightest, but it's possible that, if there is a capitol for Argonia, it would be in the thickest, most inhospitable center of the marsh. Helstrom seems to fit that nicely.

Though it's more than possible it was just a strategic stronghold that made sense to flee towards and is not the capitol at all.

Thanks for the replies
I realize that the argonians probably doesn't have any capital but the imperials should have one where their governor and representants are (Black marsh is after all an imperial province) is it Gideon that acts like an provincial capital or has the imperials completly abandonded the province? if so why is Black marsh considered a part of the empire..

Regards
The Mage

It looks as if Gideon is as close to an answer as you're going to get
The Imperials wouldn't have completely abandoned the province, and if they did it would only have been during the Oblivion Crisis but since Ocato refused to recall the legions it seems logical that some legions (if there are any in Argonia) stayed in Argonia

Funny thing is MK, somewhere deep here, implied that the daedra and mythic dawn did absolutely horrible in Black Marsh, while the people of BM didn't really lose anything. Diseases, hidden cities, flesh eating flies, untamed wildlife MUCH worse than Valenwood, argonian guerrilla fighters, and much much more not only makes the trip for non-argonians highly dangerous, but I have a feeling the dremora never really understood why going in BM is a bad idea in general.

The interior of Black Marsh is mostly wild, with little or no Imperial influence besides the occasional fort and harbour to stop pirates or Argonian guerrillas from taking control of the rivers - the only ways into most of the province. Read the Argonian Account, an in-game series of books.

The Hist would be interesting combatants too, they are sentient, maybe they can use Magicka. What Daedra would expect a fireball flying from a tree?

If they are similar to Tolkien's Ents, they wouldn't need fireballs at all, but just pick up the buggers and hurl them across Tamriel.

Haha, yeah. But I'd appreciate the irony if a tree killed a humanoid with fire

To answer the OP's question you have to define the actual nature of the Hist and their relationship with the Argonians.

However it appears that non-Argonians do not visit the center ... and that arround the center it Argonian society tends to exist in small villages - some of them actually moving about on the water.

According to one account when a Hist dies the village it is connected with dries up and all the plantlife dies. Planting a new Hist enables the village to regenerate.

There is more than one reported race of argonian-like beings.

There is a City of Necromancers in Argonia.

The big cities (on drier lands far outside the swamp) are really the remains of failed invasions - one actually sunk without a trace in the swamp during construction and the builders with it.

There is a report that the Hist had a civilisation that was sunk by the war betwen the et'Ada and Lorkan.

If you don't want to track down the books in-game, there should be copies at the Imperial Library website. But tracking things down is always worth it.

The Argonian Account is wonderful and there are other books that have been in other ES games too