Lore:Akavir

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The continent of Akavir, also known as "Dragon Land", is a landmass east of Tamriel. The two continents have a history of animosity towards each other, each having invaded the other several times in the past.

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[edit] Inhabitants

No mer have ever lived there; the men that did live in Akavir were all "eaten" [Note 1] long ago by the Vampiric Serpent Folk of Tsaesci. There are four major nations on Akavir, each with its own race: Kamal, Tsaesci, Tang Mo and Ka Po' Tun.

Kamal is translated as "Snow Hell", and many armies of demons call it their home. Every summer they thaw out and attempt to invade Tang Mo, but are always driven back by the courageous monkey-folk who live there. Once Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal, a king among the demons, tried to invade and conquer Morrowind, but was destroyed by Almalexia and the Underking at Red Mountain.

Tsaesci is translated as "Snake Palace", and was once the strongest kingdom in Akavir. It is home to the Vampire Snake people who ate the men of Akavir long ago. They are described as beautiful, with golden scales, a human upper body and a snake like lower body. The goblin tribes of Akavir are their source of food and labor. Potentate Versidue-Shaie was a Tsaesci who ruled Tamriel in the previous era for 400 years before being assassinated by the Morag Tong.

Tang Mo is translated as "The Thousand Monkey Isles". It is inhabited by many breeds of monkeys who are described as kind and brave. The other nations of Akavir have tried to enslave them at some point, but the monkeys can make armies if they must. They are apparently allies of the tiger people of Ka Po' Tun.

Ka Po' Tun is translated as the "Tiger-Dragon Empire". The inhabitants, of course, are a cat-like people and are ruled by the great ruler Tosh Raka, a tiger dragon. They are the greatest empire in Akavir, but are not skilled at fighting at sea. After the Serpent people ate the men, they tried to eat the dragons. They managed to make the red dragons slaves, but the black dragons fled to Po Tun. A great battle was fought, and it left both the cats and the snakes weak, and the dragons extinct. Since then, the cats have always tried to become dragons. Tosh Raka is the first and only so far to have accomplished this. He is the largest dragon on Nirn and is covered in Orange and Black Scales.

[edit] History

Most Akaviri history is only known so far as it affects Tamriel, which means it is a story of conflict and violence, betrayal and intrigue.

Perhaps the earliest story concerning Akavir is The Story of Lyrisius, in which the eponymous hero and general has his own army destroyed before going on to destroy the Akaviri army through other means. Thus, even the oldest tales from Akavir are about war.

The most famous and important interaction between the two continents concerns the Reman dynasty of Tamrielic emperors and their successors, the Akaviri Potentates. In 1E 2703 [1] the forces of Akavir invaded Tamriel and were decisively defeated at Pale Pass by the army of Reman I. Reman's empire was also under threat from the Elves, and he agreed to allow the survivors of the disaster to remain in Tamriel and strengthen his army. They eventually rose to positions of power and in 1E 2920, the last year of the first era, Potentate of the Empire, Versidue-Shaie brought about the death of Reman III and his heir Prince Juilek and took the throne for himself. After his assassination by the Morag Tong in 2E 324, the empire passed to his son Savirien-Chorak who was in turn assassinated along with his heirs in 2E 431.

Next came an invasion of Akavir from Tamriel. At the height of his power in 3E 288, Uriel Septim V launched an invasion of the continent, which came to utter ruin at the Battle of Ionith in 3E 290. Since then, the two continents have had little or no contact.

[edit] Influences on Tamriel

The martial ability of the Akaviri soldiers had a strong influence on the military hierarchies of Tamriel. The Imperial Legions benefited by the superior organization and knowledge of tactics of the Akavir, and the political and legal systems of the Empire were both improved as well. The Empire in general benefited from the influence of the sophisticated beastpeople.

The Blades adopted Akaviri style for their weaponry and armor, both of which strongly resemble Akaviri items. Their headquarters, Cloud Ruler Temple is also built in the Akaviri style.

[edit] Notes

  • According to rumors in Oblivion, the Nerevarine went on an expedition to Akavir, but has not been heard from since.
  1. The meaning of term "eaten" as given from what is known of the land of Akavir is not clear. Although description of the Tsaesci might suggest literal meaning, it could be a metaphor for being subdued. In Mysterious Akavir by anonymous writer, the Tsaesci are told to have: "tried to eat all the Dragons. They managed to enslave the Red Dragons, but the black ones had fled to (then) Po Tun." Also, the Akaviri Diary Translation of an Akaviri messenger states that during his journey to deliver orders to Pale Pass Fort he met another Akaviri messenger, stating that his leg had been badly hurt by wolves. As the Tsaesci are described as beings with humanoid upper body and snake lower bodies, to being entirely snake-like, this statement would suggest that men indeed continued to live in Akavir, even if they were subdued as independent by the Tsaesci.

[edit] References

Regions of the Elder Scrolls
Tamriel: Black Marsh | Cyrodiil | Elsweyr | Hammerfell | High Rock | Morrowind | Skyrim | Summerset Isle | Valenwood
Other Continents: Akavir | Aldmeris | Atmora | Pyandonea | Thras | Yokuda
Worlds: Mundus | Nirn | Oblivion
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