How the race of men first set foot on the continent of Tamriel may forever be lost to
the mists of antiquity.
Yet according to myth, when a civil war split the mighty northern kingdom of Atmor asunder,
the legendary warrior Ysgramor lead a vast host of his people south in search of new
lands where they might live in peace.
After a perilous journey across the icy waters of the Sea of Ghosts, they arrived in an untamed
and beautiful wilderness marked by snow-capped peaks, deep valleys and ancient forests.
The first settlers named this place the “Throat of the World”, today it is simply “Skyrim”.
On the coast of this new frontier a great city known as Saarthal was founded, which
flourished as thousands migrated to seek out a new life of opportunity or adventure.
Yet Ysgramor and his settlers were not the first to call this land home.
The race of Mer, known to men as Elves, had long before dwelt here, though they soon became
threatened as men from all areas of the world pushed deeper into the continent.
During what would become known as the Night of Tears, these Snow Elves attacked the men
of Saarthal, sacking the city and reducing it to a burning ruin.
Ysgramor and his sons fled back across the Sea of Ghosts to their former homeland, bringing
with them tales of the beautiful country they had discovered and the Elven treachery and
barbarism that drove them away.
Modern scholars differ on what motivated this attack, with some saying it was Elven fears
of men spreading unchecked across the land, while others have speculated that an ancient
and powerful artifact was discovered beneath the city, which forced the Elves to act.
Whatever the reason, Ysgramor rallied the people of Atmora and gathered an army that
would become known as the “Five Hundred Companions.”
Once more he crossed the Sea of Ghosts to avenge Saarthal and retake Skyrim, sparking
the beginning of a new era known to history and legend as “The Return”.
Across the whole of Skyrim, the armies of men and elves fought a long and brutal struggle
until finally the resolve of the Snow Elves was exhausted, and their kind was all but
wiped out.
Without the Elves to hinder their migration, The Five Hundred Companions lead a great expansion
across Skyrim.
Great new cities such as Whiterun and Windhelm were founded, and over the centuries, as they
pushed ever onward, the men of Skyrim uncovered some of the deepest mysteries and secrets
of the world.
The ancient practice of worshipping dragons was widespread across Skyrim, brought across
the Sea of Ghosts and encouraged by the dragons themselves.
Alduin the World Eater was worshipped above all others, believed to be the most powerful
dragon and the harbinger of the apocalypse.
The reign of Alduin and his Dragon Cult was marked by cruelty however, and in time, the
men of Skyrim rebelled.
At first thousands perished in flame, until it is said the Aedric Goddess of the Storm
herself intervened, convincing the Dragon Paarthurnax to betray his brother Alduin and
teach the Thu’um to humanity, a powerful form of voice magic which utilized the dragon
language to form shouts of immense power.
With this new knowledge, the tide swiftly turned.
The Dragons were hunted down, and their cultists killed or overthrown.
Alduin himself was said to have perished atop Skyrim’s highest mountain, destroyed by
three of Tamriel’s greatest heroes with the aid of an Elder Scroll, a powerful artifact
said to exist outside of time.
Today, the final remnants of that conflict are the giant dragon mounds, where the last
of the cult entombed themselves alongside the corpses of fallen dragons in the hopes
of one day being resurrected by Alduin born anew.
The defeat of the Dragons marked a new era for Skyrim.
King Harald, thirteenth of the Ysgramor Dynasty, renounced all claims to their ancestral homeland
Atmora, declaring his Kingdom a new nation, and his subjects a new people: The Nords.
Across the eras, the Kingdom of Skyrim’s fortunes waxed and waned.
It conquered new lands to the south and west, only to lose them centuries later to attacks
by Elves, Orcs and others.
In time, Skyrim itself would become part of the Third Tamrielic Empire, not as a conquered
subject, but as a willing member.
When the Nords first encountered the legendary Emperor Tiber Septim and witnessed him use
the Thu’um, they recognized him to be the Blood of the Dragon and a worthy heir to the
Empires of Men.
When the Imperial Legions marched to unify the remainder of Tamriel, the Nords were among
them.
Successive dynasties have ruled the Empire since, but the status of Skyrim has remained
largely unchanged, even as Imperial rule begins to fracture, challenged by the Thalmor elves
of the Aldmeri Dominion.
Today Skyrim is the northernmost province in the Empire, stretching from the frigid
northern coastal cities of Solitude, Dawnstar, and Winterhold to the more temperate regions
to the south known as the Rift.
Skyrim has the highest mountains in all of Tamriel, but they are surrounded by plenty
of arable farmland and the oceans, rivers and forests provide more than enough fish
and game for most Nords to live comfortably.
Skyrim itself is divided into nine Holds, each governed by a hereditary appointed Jarl.
While each Jarl has full jurisdiction over their Hold, each swear fealty to the High
King or Queen of Skyrim who turn rules in the name of Emperor of Tamriel.
The High King or Queen of Skyrim rules for life or until abdication, in which time the
Jarls will form a Moot to select a new ruler for the province if no suitable heir is named.
While Skyrim remains a part of the greater Empire, it has always been a land apart, separated
from the rest of Tamriel by its people, religion, and culture.
The often brutal climate and frequent wars have molded the Nords into capable warriors
with both an innate resistance to the cold and a fierce and uncompromising attitude.
In times of war, both men and women take up arms willingly to defend their lands and lifestyle.
The Nords are a very religious people, venerating nature and placing special importance on the
Wind.
Kyne, the Nordic name for the Aedric Goddess of the Storm, represents the breath and life
force of the Nords and was said to be responsible for first teaching men to speak.
Of the remaining Nordic Pantheon, the worship of Talos, known to the Nords as Ysmir, is
the most contentious.
Known in life and beloved by the Nords as Emperor Tiber Septim, it is believed that
upon his death he ascended to godhood.
The terms of peace in the White-Gold Concordat that ended the Great War between the Empire
and the Aldmeri Dominion included a condition that the worship of Talos be banned, although
this has been widely ignored in Skyrim despite the danger.
This has fostered a deep resentment between the Nords and the rest of the Empire, and
now all of Skyrim is beset by civil war.
Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm, is seen by many as the rightful High King of Skyrim,
a liberator who personifies the Nordic spirit of freedom.
To the Imperials, he is a traitor, a man who hungers only for power and has committed many
acts of cruelty.
Others say Ulfric is simply an unknowing puppet of the Aldmeri, a destabilizing influence
let loose across Skyrim to further weaken the Empire in preparation for a renewed attack
by the Elves.
Whatever his true motivations, his miraculous escape from Imperial authorities mere moments
before his execution has become the stuff of legends.
Witnesses say he called a dragon using the Thu’um, while others claim this is impossible
since Ulfric was bound and gagged.
Some also whisper that this dragon was not called by Ulfric at all, this it was Alduin
come again, who once more flies above Skyrim on black wings in the cold with a hunger to
swallow the world.
The Templin Institute investigates alternate worlds and realities.
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