One of the biggest reasons for playing The Elder Scrolls Online is getting a new chance to explore its expansive, nearly three-decade-old world. Not only are there a vast number of lore books to read through, but a variety of races and cultures to meet as well. But what is easily the most intriguing part is the mysteries hidden throughout, with ongoing expansions like Necrom offering an opportunity to explore even more diverse aspects of The Elder Scrolls that couldn't be seen in mainline entry.
The Elder Scrolls Online's Necrom expansion will explore a part of Tamriel that has not been seen since the franchise's first installment. One of the most curious aspects about the region is its relationship to Dunmer culture and the Tribunal, so Necrom will likely delve into both, while also exploring the darker side of the Tribunal's reign over Morrowind.
The Duality of The Tribunal in The Elder Scrolls
The Tribunal were officially introduced in The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and has become one of the most iconic groups from the franchise. The Tribunal consists of Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil, who all attained god-like powers from Morrowind's heart of Lorkhan. Though they appear to be relatively kind and peaceful, in order to attain their powers they betrayed their friend Nerevar, killing him in the process. This vicious behavior does not show through their ruling of Morrowind, but it does call their ethics into question.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom is particularly relevant when it comes to talking about the darkness of the Tribunal. In the 36 Lessons of Vivec, a series of books found within The Elder Scrolls games, Vivec states that the foundation of the city of Necrom are the bones of a beast he slew. This is shown in the cinematic trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom by the towering crags over Necrom, suggested to be the ribs of the beast. While this could easily just be a fun origin story to demonstrate the mythical nature of the Tribunal, its implications are much darker.
The issue with Vivec's telling of the origins of Necrom is that there are also stories predating the Tribunal. Necrom has deep roots in Dunmer culture, being the location where people bring their dead. Its role in their society does not require the existence of the Tribunal, and if anything it is possible that the Tribunal shoehorned their names into the history books and lore of The Elder Scrolls' Necrom.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom could explore this aspect of the city, digging deeper into the machinations of the Tribunal. While there are likely few individuals alive from the time the Tribunal became god-kings, there are still a few that show up in the MMO. For example, Divayth Fyr is a 4,000-year-old wizard from the Morrowind expansion, predating the Tribunal by about 1,000 years. He could easily reappear in Necrom and pass along his skepticism of the Tribunal's claims. Perhaps even local legends among the populace could claim that the Tribunal are not being completely honest, with Necrom's teased big secret having some relationship to the city as whole.
Whatever the truth may be, it will likely be explored in-depth upon the expansion's release on June 5. Necrom's lovecraftian horror themes could dig deep into the true origins of the city, while also revealing the Tribunal are not everything they say they are.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
