The Elder Scribe: Jorunn, Nameless Mage, Dev Questions, and Aldmeri Dominion Pt 1 AMA
Recapped by Shannon Doyle (Leliah), OnRPG’s Elder Scribe
It’s been two weeks since the last time OnRPG turned it’s eyes towards Elder Scrolls Online and boy has a lot happened! One of the twice a month Ask Us Anything session was released this week. It focuses on the Aldmeri Dominion but also answers questions about the game in general. Two developer videos have been made which as the players questions. A short story about Jorunn the Skald-King has been released and the Nameless Mage is nameless no more.
Ask Us Anything: Aldmeri Dominion Pt 1
Fans have been submitting questions via Twitter and Facebook to find out more about the Aldmeri Dominion and other more general Elder Scrolls Online questions. I’ve picked out just a few of the best.
How did the Aldmeri Dominion come to be formed in the first place? – By Luke Heys
It was really the brainchild of Queen Ayrenn, after assuming the throne of Alinor. Having traveled Tamriel extensively before returning to Summerset, she was aware of the dire threats menacing the world, and saw it as the proper duty of the Elves to put things right. At the same time, the Wood Elves and Khajiit were facing troubles of their own and in need of allies, so they came together to form the Dominion.
Will the Khajiit players in The Elder Scrolls Online also get a choice in sub-species, or will the default still be Suthay-raht? I know that they are the most common breed, but is there any more back-story as to why every Khajiit you meet in Vvardenfell, Cyrodiil and Skyrim are Suthay-raht? Do the others never leave Elsweyr? – By Brandy Dills
Among the Khajiit, the race of feline humanoids who originate from Elsweyr, the Suthay-raht are indeed the most common breed, and at launch, all player-character and non-player-character Khajiit in ESO will be Suthay-raht. Now, will you glimpse more Khajiit sub-species in ESO in the future? Only time will tell!
There hasn’t been a ton of content in Valenwood in the past. How exciting is it for the people working on places in Tamriel that have not been prominently featured in the past? – By Chris McNamara
We know from existing lore that Valenwood is an exaggeration of our own world’s jungles and deep forests. Combine that with a bit of the look seen in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and we take it from there. The opportunity to take clues and hints from lore and turn them into living, breathing places has excited everybody in art, game design, and audio. What could be better?
I wish for more information about the cultures of the Wood and High Elves. It is the culture that really gives a people its depth, and what subconsciously governs at least my attraction to certain races. What entertainment do the elves enjoy? Do the Wood Elves enjoy poetry? Do the High Elves hunt for sport? Are there any beloved Elf vocalists? How would the Elf lords enjoy an evening off duties? What forms of art have been popular through the ages? – By Joakim Brorson
Both High Elves and Wood Elves have an abundance of rich and tremendously detailed background lore. These ancient races have had a very long time to establish their own unique cultures. We’ve made sure that this kind of lore about the Elves will be included in the game—in plenty—in all the classic ways cultural lore is delivered in the Elder Scrolls games: quest dialogue, conversations with NPCs, lore books of all kinds, music, item crafting, and so forth.
The buildings of Alinor are said to look like they are “made from glass or insect wings.” If the Summurset Isles are traversable at release will we see a design reminiscent of this? And will we see theCrystalTowerfor that matter?! – By Callum Parker
When The Elder Scrolls Online launches, the playable part of the Summerset Isles will be Auridon, the big island between Summerset and the continent that includes the cities of Firsthold and Skywatch. The architecture of the High Elves is fanciful, certainly, but it’s also practical, constructed of real-world materials. Architects can’t make buildings out of poetry!
Developers Question of the Week 1 & 2
To help foster community and keep people coming back to Elder Scroll’s social media sites Developers have been making short videos asking players questions about the Elder Scrolls series. This might also give them a few ideas for the future. The first question was posed by Senior Content Designer Greg Roth. He asked, “Who is your favorite villain in the Elder Scrolls series and why?” Though comments have been disabled players are able to submit answers on Twitter and Facebook. More than 200 responses have been made on Facebook so far. Here are just a couple of answers:
Maro, the captain of the Emperors body guards in Skyrim. Maro took the Dark Brotherhood, one of my favorite groups of characters in any game, and did the worst things he could to them. He got one to sell out my character, and then double crossed them and slaughtered all but two. Its one of the times when I’ve really, legitimately wanted to hurt a villain in a videogame. –Eric Duey
The player, what elder scrolls has always encapsulated for me is the power and choice to be whoever I want whenever I want be they good, bad evil or exceptionally ugly in the case of our unfortunate orc friends. It’s my hope that this concurrent theme will be reflected strongly still in the online debut of the Elder Scrolls. –Daryl Richards
I would have to say that my favorite villain from the elder scrolls series would be none other than Lucien Lachance from the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In all the history of the Dark Brotherhood, Lucien has lead one of the most colorful lives of any man. A master manipulator, Lucien had your fellow brother and sisters convinced that not only was he their leader and friend, but also that there were deep bonds that tied them all to one another. And then, when you began to show prominence in the brotherhood, he even sunk his corrupting words into you, convincing you to murder your brothers and sisters, your friends, to advance his own master schemes. In the end, Lucien was stopped before his own plans came to fruition, but the impact he made upon the history of the order will never be forgotten. –Chris Cantly
The current question being asked comes from Effects Lead Todd Yarbrough. He asks, what monsters are you looking forward to from zones which have previously been in Elder Scrolls games. So far there have been over 300 responses on Facebook. And of course people can answer anytime.
I want to say mudcrabs but that would be silly, hmm I would have to say the falmer. They are really one of the few enemies that have a culture of their own. And during the Second Era the falmer were still at a height of population and power that they could lead raiding parties to the surface. Also since the falmer live in all the dwemer ruins it would make sense to have them set as a recurring and common foe. And of course I would be interested in seeing what you- the developers have planned for us in that regard. –Benjamin Camron
The hagravens were throughly challenging during the early levels, so naturally I loved them. Their ability to both cast devastating fireballs and do heavy unarmed damage was a far higher treat level than the mammoths, who you could just run away from, regen and then reengage. –Jens Glibstrup
Hands down – like many before me have probably said – the Silt Striders. These magnificent beasts were always the ones to make me arch an eyebrow. Granted I was just above ten years old when I first played Morrowind, but it took me a while to realize they were actually creatures.
Every time installing the game I’d marvel at the different descriptions of the creatures. Silt Strider, Bone Lord, Daedroth, they were all equally interesting, inspiring, or even haunting.
But if I had to pick one, it would be great to see my favourite, and really the only insect I don’t have a fit when I see, again incorporated into the Elder Scrolls!
I mean, who’s never dreamt about riding a giant bug between cities? –Axel Lindner Olsson
Stories of Tamriel: Jorunn the Skald-King
A new series has been started which will give just a small story from the world of Tamriel. The first is a tale of Jorunn the Skald-King by Helgreir Lute-Voice, Bard of Windhelm. The small sneak peek into the lore surrounding Elder Scrolls Online has created a lot of excitement and discussion. I won’t ruin any of it here for you though as they went through the effort of putting it all into an adorable little book. So have a look for yourself by following the link. http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en/news/post/2012/12/03/the-stories-of-tamriel-jorunn-the-skald-king
Nameless Mage Named
There was recently a contest for the players to name a Dark Elf character who was until recently called The Nameless Mage. Over 5,700 entries were submitted and after reading through them all one came out on top. The winning entry was from Jim inAlbany,California. So, here is the biography of Dark Elf Mage, Malkur Valos.
Malkur Valos was the only child of the Dunmer wizard, Maros Valos. When Malkur’s mother died in childbirth, Maros summoned a Golden Saint to protect and care for his son. Maros was killed in a mage’s duel and Malkur’s Daedric protector honored her commitment to the infant by taking him to Lord Sheogorath’s realm.
The son of a powerful Dunmer wizard, Malkur is naturally gifted in the arcane arts and shares the distrusting, disdainful temperament of his race. Under the tutelage of the Aureals, Malkur acquired steadfast principles of honor, duty, and fidelity to his word. The inescapable influence of the Shivering Isles imbued him with a measure of unpredictability in his methods.
Eventually, Malkur was drawn to return to his native Tamriel, where his talent, honor, and innovation soon caught the attention of Vanus Galerion. When Malkur swore to uphold the principles and objectives of the Mages Guild, those principles and objectives became the unwavering core driving his every action, though that was not always apparent to superficial observers.
Gavis Velas, who died (3E 427) while avenging his brother, Ovis, is a descendant of Malkur Valos.
It has been a quite exciting time and things seem to be only getting started. I’ll keep collecting information as it’s released and get it to you. Check back again in two weeks for more news from Elder Scrolls Online.