We've already translated this to Russian. Ha-ha. Very impressive job (I mean article, not translation).
Few questions.

- How-d-y think, maybe it's a place where Nerevarine lives now? Chimeri clans and shorekhans suggest, absolutely. Lost tribe? Here it is.
- Completely fantastic suggestion - Nerevarine ~ John the Bishop? Ethiopia, bulls, totemism, ten lost Hebrew tribes, orthodox Christian ruler, even Liao and Khitan empire? Or, maybe, men-of-Keptu is mantling Turkic people? John the Prester's letter rise when turks giantly rose their population and activity, maybe it's connected?

Well, I guess, we'll never know fully. But, anyways, plenty of information to meditate is awesome. Thanks.

What, man and mer living peacefully? Kill them all!

Not necessarily. The -khans seem to be left over from ye olde Chirmeri days (see: Ashlanders, who pretty much worship the way the Chimer did) Also, the dates of the occupations are before the Nerevarine's rise.

Though I do find it interesting that a band of Chimer managed to avoid Azura's wrath. I wonder what they did right? Or, perhaps more appropriately, what did the Resdayn Chimer do wrong to be cursed with the Tribunal?

What I'm wondering is how the Chimer are still Chimer. Did Azura's curse not reach as far as Akavir?

They became culturally distinct. You won't find any Netchyman's wives among the Chimeri-quey for the simple fact that you won't find any Netch.

They weren't up to date on what was in vogue with veloth's exodites. Missed the memo about grey being the new gold.

So if we take a Chimeri-quey, stick him in Tamriel and spend empire-crushing amounts of sums to turn him into another citizen of Tamriel, does he instantly transform into a Dark Elf? Is this especially so if we force said Chimeri-quey to adopt a Dunmer religious and cultural view?

Some food for thought, though I don't think we have any evidence to indicate anything at all. Philosophical musings, go!

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, my illegal logging business succeeds."

I hate to cite English Colonial rhetoric on this, as it was so often pig-headed, wrong, and filled with oblique references to "The White Man's Burden," but you can take the African out of Africa, but you can't take the Africa out of the African.

No real life commentary! No! I must stay in this magical new world! Don't rip me out of it! Oh damn... I'm already gone.

What does English colonialism have to do with this story though? There's colonialism throughout TES, and it's not restricted to the Cyrodiils.

Wait, are you saying that you don't see how real-world colonialism can apply to Septim colonialism? In this one alone, we have them imposing western idea(l)s on a decidedly nonwestern civilization in an attempt to rewrite their culture and thereby control them. We have what appears an idylic society being dismantled and remade under the 'progressive' norms of Empire, which are (arguably objectively) inferior. This culture is viewed as at once naive/innocent and conniving/duplicitous. They slaughter the native populations, and then only stick around for the considerable economic benefits.

I understand how the Cyrodiilic colonialism is reminiscent of British style colonialism, but the Cyrodiil Empire wouldn't be all that interesting if it was just the British Empire with a different name. There's a lot more that goes into it, drawn from many civilizations, and if the devs did their job right, we aren't left with a clearly defined facsimile or collage of easily identifiable real world references.

And maybe I just read the story wrong, but at what point does Uriel slaughter everyone in Cathnoquey?

But to answer your question, I do see what parts of Cyrodiil are drawn from history. You have the Imperial Legion that represents the Roman Legion, in look, name, and partially in structure and actions. There's the idea of holding provinces, which is also notably Roman, yet the idea stretches back farther to the Persians, and even farther to the Egyptians, and the hosts of Hellenes, not to mention the Assyrians and an actual ancient Iranian people called the Medes (defeated by Cyrus [go figure] the Great) and the Mauryan Empire in ancient India. There are empires throughout history that have done a lot of the same practices, so it doesn't make complete sense to say that the Cyrodiils are completely based on one in particular. Rather to say they are based upon they idea of Imperialism with the skin of real life cultures grafted, hopefully skillful enough to where we as the audience can't see where one real life culture begins and another ends, thus they become the Cyrodiils and Septims rather than just Romans and British.

I wasn't saying that it's a carbon copy of England (it's not). In the case of the Tamrielic provinces, I think the Empire's brand of "colonialism" is closer to Rome or other classical civilizations. However, in the case of Cathnoquey, it's strait up 19th century stuff.

And I was responding to Riddle's question about taking a Chimeri-quey and culturally immersing him into Dunmeri culture.

Not quite the same. I think you might be shooting for a white guy with African heritage being dropped off in Africa and then suddenly turning black. While that definitely won't happen (without surgery, at least), I am wondering what's the extent of Azura's curse. After all, we are dealing with a magical curse.

Was the curse a one-time thing that affected all chimer and the birthing process of the changed chimer -- in our world terms, it changed their genetics so that their offspring are also dunmer -- or is it a persistent curse that affects all chimer that fulfill certain prerequisites? (E.G. An assimilated citizen of Tamriel, certain religious beliefs, etc.)

Still I'd rather think that Cyrodiil and its actions was the result of originality from the author only slightly tinged by real cultures and events.

Ah, forgot that part, but the Keptu-quey weren't wiped out. In addition, the men-of-Keptu's actions and the resulting actions of the Imperials don't seem anologous to real events, even within the British Empire. Sure the British slaughtered natives for natural resources but not over absurd, wacky even misunderstandings. In this case, real things such as language barriers and completely alien cultures are exaggerated in the name of creativity and possibly satire.

Everything we do is completely based on the real. I think what you mean is that you hope MK wasn't writing a commentary on colonial narrative on purpose.

Well I wasn't thinking exactly that, but yes. In addition to not simply stapling Rome and Britain together to make Cyrodiil, I also hope MK wasn't just making a commentary on colonialism. I got enough of that after I read Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians and Paton's Cry the Beloved Country within a week of each other. Also A Passage to India. That was a depressing semester.

And of course everything we do is based on real life, but the good authors can mask it to look alien, exotic, and new. It also helps to never read anything or know anything about anything. If you're a complete shut-in, everything is new and wondrous!

The moment you learn anything about the Middle Ages, all movies set in that time become intolerable. The same with ancient Rome. And when you learn how guns work, you'll never enjoy a single John Woo movie as long as you live. Information is a curse.


*smacks self* stop it! be positive now! *smacks self again*

For you, maybe

Yeah probably.

The second I started doing real research into the actual Tamriel, the games just got bad. I mean Bethesda's representation of how life really goes on in Tamriel is so inaccurate. The real Uriel VII had darker hair and was balding, and the Telvanni used stairs, only levitating to impress people at parties and win bets. At least that's what my professor told us. I mean, come on! Show some respect towards history! Am I right?

Essentially you are asking if people can change their race. This is your question rephrased: Wouldn't an Altmer who was born to Altmeri parents, but raised in Valenwood to Bosmeri parents be a Bosmer? After all, race is more about culture and if the Altmer in question views his Bosmeri traditions and culture as a way of life, then wouldn't he become Bosmer? And I'm saying no. You don't suddenly acquire a shared history just because you can go back far enough to when there was a shared history. If you dropped a Chimeri-quey in Morrowind, yeah he might pick up the customs and understand their perspective, but he doesn't share in the ascension of the Tribunal and their spurning of the Daedra. It isn't a part of his cultural heritage or identity and, as such, he won't become Dunmer. Azura's curse was a curse against the Tribunal. Since they represented the Chimer (read: the Tribunal were a symbol for the state of the Chimer), the curse affected them as well.

Also, you're focusing too much on the first part of their name. Chimer =/ Chimeri-quey just like Chimer =/ Dunmer.

What on earth? Did I miss something here?

Yeah, man. You just need to read some good peer-reviewed studies and published volumes about Tamrielic history. It's not as flashy and exciting as the game adaptations, but quite informative, like the one paper I read that explains the differences among the 12 different sub-types of Sujamma.

You're talking about the same empire that went into a war with natives over a stool, another war with different natives over a flagpole, and almost went to war with the United States over a pig.

Wait, what empire are we talking about?
I'm confused.

Yes... please explain.

The British Empire.