The lands of Tamriel are bursting with all manner of diverse inhabitants. One of the longstanding playable races in The Elder Scrolls series is the Argonians. These reptilian creatures hail from the province of Black Marsh, a mysterious land positively brimming with history and wonder. Danger, however, is also quite pervasive.
Black Marsh has experienced its fair share of important events throughout Tamrielic lore. The sheer volume of information available at the player's fingertips can sometimes make deciphering all that knowledge a bit messy. The story of Black Marsh is certainly a tale worth reading. These are some of the more compelling details concerning the Argonian homeland.
8 Home To A Distinct Collection Of Tribes
Unlike other races of Tamriel, such as the Altmer, the Argonians possess a high level of heterogeneity. The inhabitants of Black Marsh consist of a wide range of various tribes that are quite distinct from one another. Historically, this has led to much political instability in their country.
Each tribe maintains its own local traditions and culture. Some are extremely isolationist and mistrustful of outsiders, while others are more welcoming of strangers. The physical traits of Argonians can also differ substantially across tribes. Characteristics such as size, scale color, eyes, and teeth are variable.
7 Worship Of The Hist Is Prevalent
One of the most unique features of the Argonian race as a whole is their religion. They worship beings called the Hist, great sentient trees who are said to possess mysterious life-giving essences. In fact, the Hist are usually credited as the original inhabitants of Black Marsh before the region's eventual settlement by other peoples.
The Hist are known to secrete an unusual sap that, when licked, provides a means of communication through visions between the Argonian and the tree. Ingesting too much sap, however, is dangerous and can lead to unpleasant hallucinations. Non-Argonians who drink the sap can experience madness, something that can be witnessed in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
6 Composed Of Four Main Regions
Black Marsh lies to the southeast of Tamriel, bordering both Morrowind and Cyrodiil. The land can be subdivided further into four main geographical areas, which include Middle Argonia, Murkmire, Shadowfen, and Thornmarsh. Traveling by boat is the primary mode of transportation in Black Marsh.
Middle Argonia is located in the center of Black Marsh. The Hist are said to grow primarily in this region. Murkmire is found on the southern coast, where the city of Lilmoth stands. Shadowfen is a northwestern border region and is home to the famous Shadowscale assassins. Thornmarsh lies to the northeast, where the Thorn settlement is located.
5 Once Contained Human Settlers
Before the Argonians became the dominant species in Black Marsh, there actually existed other settlements composed of other races. For example, the city of Lilmoth was founded by a nomadic tribe of settlers described as "Khajiit-like." Interestingly, humans also found their way into Black Marsh during the Merethic Era.
The Kothringi, a race of silver-skinned humans, were once indigenous to Black Marsh. In the Second Era, a cataclysmic event known as the Flu nearly exterminated these human tribesmen completely, leaving only the immune Argonians left to pick up the pieces. Remnants of the Kothringi can be encountered in The Elder Scrolls Online.
4 Site Of The Duskfall
Players, particularly in The Elder Scrolls Online, may hear of references to something called the Duskfall. In the ancient days of Black Marsh, there existed a civilization of Argonians who inexplicably disappeared quite suddenly, an event later referred to as the Duskfall. The only remnants of their society are unusual stone pyramids and shrines scattered across the land.
The pre-Duskfall Argonians ostensibly worshipped Sithis, a primordial agent of chaos often associated with the Dark Brotherhood and other shadowy cults. Why this Argonian civilization collapsed so abruptly remains a mystery in Black Marsh, although some believe that Sithis himself may have had a hand in it.
3 Assortment Of Unusual Creatures
Like all other provinces of Tamriel, Black Marsh contains its own unique ecosystem. The region's fauna encompasses some unusual specimens that players may not have known even existed. In fact, many of them can be downright terrifying.
A case in point is the werecrocodiles, undead reptiles that lurk in some of Black Marshes' isolated swamps. Fleshflies, almost microscopically small insects, feast on the human flesh of those unlucky enough to cross their path. A more benign example is the swamp jellies, gelatinous insectivores that resemble the netches found in Morrowind. Humorously, Black Marsh is also home to underground rootworms. These worms act as a transportation mechanism by swallowing their passengers whole and taking them to their destinations before they're digested.
2 Never Conquered Militarily
The Empire is a vastly powerful entity in the world of The Elder Scrolls. The history of this organization is long and storied, but suffice to say that it once held dominion over the majority of the continent. Black Marsh is a curious exception. Only a portion of the territory was incorporated into the Second Empire, with the Imperials sacrificing thousands of troops to secure the rest, to no avail. When the Second Empire collapsed, their tentative hold on Black Marsh evaporated along with it.
Tiber Septim achieved better results, although his approach was different. Rather than conquer Black Marsh militarily, the Third Empire annexed the region peacefully through a treaty. By the dawn of the Fourth Era, Black Marsh once again severed ties with the Empire after the fall of the Septim dynasty.
1 Housed An Ayleid Enclave
The Ayleids were once the elven masters of Cyrodiil before their former subjects violently overthrew them. Bands of Ayleid refugees were forced to take shelter in other provinces, such as Valenwood and Black Marsh. The groups that immigrated to Black Marsh lived on for some time, longer than many of their compatriots elsewhere.
A series of Ayleid colonies were established in Black Marsh and even a few cities as well. Stormhold and Gideon are two examples of settlements that were originally commissioned by the elves. Nevertheless, despite this progress, the Ayleids in Black Marsh eventually died out over the succeeding centuries.