One of the Elder Scrolls Online's greatest strengths is the ability to include modern iterations of locations in Tamriel. Whether it be the sandy wastes of Elsweyr or the verdant forests of Valenwood, the game has quite a lot to be explored. This year's chapter will be no different, including the city of Necrom.
Necrom will be one of Elder Scrolls Online's more unique locations, and not just for its alien environment. Necrom is a city that is built on top of a variety of unknowns, metaphorically and literally speaking. Unlike many other cities featured throughout the games, it is one engulfed in mystery and intrigue, making it an excellent addition to the MMO.
The City Built on Half-Truths
Necrom is a city-state situated on the Telvanni peninsula, which overlooks the Padomaic sea. Some of the local fauna include Morrowind's classic giant mushrooms, bat lizards, and strange creatures known as skylamps. Though surrounded by the Telvanni, the city is governed by itself through a hierarchy of priests. The city has the unique role of being where dark elves bring their dead, hence the nickname, "city of the dead." Many of the corpses are stored underground, in a complex honey comb structure. The city itself also existed long before the Tribunal, although there are some claims that directly contradict this. This convoluted history is often the source of lesser known facts about dark elves.
Though the Elder Scrolls Online's Necrom will have a Lovecraftian horror spin, the city itself was made with other things in mind. In fact, there are claims that the city is built on the bones of a gigantic creature known as GULGA MOR JIL. This creature was slain by one of the god-kings of Morrowind, Vivec. Even stranger, the creature was said to be one of offspring of Vivec and Molag Bal. All of that aside, this claim would mean that the Tribunal of Morrowind came before Necrom, which directly contradicts claims that it has been around for much longer. It should be known that Vivec is an individual who embodies duality, meaning he will lie just as easily as he will tell the truth.
Though the truth is unknown, there are various hints that Vivec's telling of the story may be true. For example, in the cinematic trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, various rocky pillars jut out of the earth, surrounding Necrom. These are strongly suggested to be the ribs of the creature Vivec slew. This would not be the first time something had been built on the remains of the dead, as dark elves are known for using the skeletons of giant mud crabs for building.
Explaining the lore behind the Elder Scrolls universe is difficult because of this duality. Bethesda has a tendency of giving multiple, equally reliably truths, with sometimes all of them being correct, despite contradictions. For that reason, the true history of Necrom is more obscured than other cities. What is known now is that it has been adopted into dark elf culture, perhaps stronger than one may expect. Dark elves have the utmost respect for their dead, denouncing practices such as necromancy as pure evil. Death is an important part of their culture, making Necrom all the more important to the race as a location where the dead are put to rest.
With a new brand-new area to explore and the arcanist class coming to The Elder Scrolls Online, the MMO has a lot in store for this year. With any luck, some light will be shed on Necrom's obscured history, giving us new insights on its true origins. Hopefully not too much is revealed though, as knowing too much would ruin the fun of a mystery.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
