User:Sload/Tsaesci

Tsaesci, which means "Snake Palace" is the name for a region of Akavir as well as the race which lives in that region. Before the coming of Tosh Raka, the Tiger-Dragon of the Ka Po' Tun, they were the most powerful polity of Akavir. They are described as tall, beautiful, and covered in golden scales. They are universally described as being serpentine in nature, though their exact anatomy is not always agreed upon. They are immortal.

History

The Tsaesci invaded Tamriel once in 1E 2703, but they were driven back by User:Reman Cyrodiil, the first emperor of the Second Empire, who defeated them at Pale Pass. Some Tsaesci remained in Tamriel, including the Potentate Versidue-Shaie, who took control of the Empire after the death of Reman III. Their influences on Nibenese culture is very prominent: Imperial weaponry, from their dai-katanas to the Dragonscale armor, shows influences from Akavir, and as late as the beginning of the Third Era, Tsaesci ancestry was a thing of pride among the Nibenese elite.

In Akavir, the Tsaesci have historically been very powerful. They killed and ate the Akaviri race of men, and then attempted to do the same to the Akaviri dragons. They managed to enslave the "Red Dragons," but the "Black Dragons" fled to the land of the Ka Po' Tun. This began a war which devestated both nations and left the dragons of Akavir extinct.

Tsaesci culture

The culture of the Tsaesci, and of Akavir is obscure, as few texts involving them have been presented and their homeland has never appeared in a game. Oblivion suggested that the Tsaesci imagery is somewhat reminiscent of the images associated with East Asia, and though Michael Kirkbride did not intend this in Mysterious Akavir, he has expressed his support for the idea.

With the publishing of the Tsaesci Creation Myth in December 2006, one would expect that the Tsaesci perspective would become more clear, however, the myth made them even more confusing and mysterious. Interpretation of the myth is still uncertain, due to its denseness. It is clear their perspective is somewhat Aldmeri in nature, in that they consider themselves gods, rather than created by gods, though some parts are difficult to make clear, being hidden behind poetic language and bizarre jargon. It is rather unlike any other creation myth yet presented.

Adventurous Putty has proposed an interpretation of their culture which has gained some traction among members of the lore community. In this view, the myth expands the definition of "eating," meaning literally and mythically consuming the subject in its entirity, absorbing its whole identity into themselves. "It wasn't just a matter of "cultural assimilation" -- they were consumed. Entirely. They were eaten, mythically, their very identities stolen, broken down, and melted" into the Tsaesci. This interpretation is popular but not canonically endorsed.

"Immortal. Vampire. Snakemen."

In Oblivion, a character representing the ghost of a Tseasci made an appearance in Pale Pass. His physical appearance, however, did not match that of a Tsaesci at all, and his race in the CS was listed as "Imperial." It was speculated that they might not have literally "eaten" the men of Akivir, but rather consumed their culture, or else that they were not actually snake-like at all. The former proposal was supported by one developer, but Michael Kirkbride, the inventor of the Tsaesci, has repeatedly stated that the appearance of this character is due to technical limitations, and that they are literally, in his words, "Immortal. Vampire. Snakemen."