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| This is a compilation of books assembled for easier reading. | |||
Note: This is supposedly a complete listing of the fauna of Tamriel, but only three books in the series are found in the game.
Being a complete listing of the Fauna of Tamriel, with truthful description, assembled from the reports of sundry Savants, Naturalists, Mystics &c from across the breadth of the Empire.
Volume 9
The Dwimmerwort
Though often mistaken for a plant, the dwimmerwort belongs to the kingdom of beasts and is a long estranged cousin of the Wood Elves of southern Tamriel. It is an inconspicuous creature that is wont to carry various grasses and small herbs on its back. Individual specimens are sometimes known to have a preference for a particular species and will spread that plant wherever they pass. When trodden upon, they will confuse the unwary traveler and make them lose their way, even on familiar terrain.
The Carnelian or Imperial Sea-Snail
These massive snails can be encountered in the mangroves of the lower Niben delta, and are easily recognized by the great, horned shell they carry around on their back, which serves as their home. They are much prized among the Nibenese for the vibrant red dye they secrete, which is said to be an exact imitation of the Imperial ruby's color. As such, all official banners and heraldry of the Empire must be painted in sea-snail red, and many villages are dedicated to producing this dye. In the wild these snails rarely grow larger than a man, but in captivity they can grow to unlimited size, and it is not unusual to see their shells used as houses along the east banks of the Niben. Tradition dictates that, once every five years, the Emperor must sail down the Niben and exhibit the Amulet of Kings to the gathered sea-snails, in order to remind them of the color they are to produce.
The Bellfrog
Bulging-bellied uprooters of plants and small trees that manifest by their call announcing thunder. Their stomachs expand so widely that they eventually break their own backs. Bellfrogs are known to burst when exposed to the sun, or hit by rainwater, or when sitting on uneven surfaces, or when sprayed with ash and salt, or when looked upon by the infirm.
The Shalk
A fire-breathing beetle whose males inhabit the lava-covered Ashlands of Morrowind. Shalk females spend their whole lives submerged in the lava because they would freeze to death if they surfaced. Unlike most large insects of Morrowind, the shalk's chitin hide is not used as raw material for buildings, armor or weapons by the native Dunmer. This is because shalk residue tends to burst into flames spontaneously, sometimes years after the shalk's death.
The Spriggan
Also known as the Woodsman's Siren, a Spriggan looks like a slender tree from afar, a brazenly unclothed maid from mid-distance, and a mean-visaged wench with long, thorny claws growing at the end of each finger when faced at an arm's length – that is, if one dared to extend their arm to measure the distance. The Spriggan are grown and crafted by small, invisible earthen spirits who carve wooden tree trunks into Kynareth's likeness in their dimly lit underground gardens, and animate them to lure unwary woodcutters and hunters to their deaths with their wiles. Though there are fables of pure-hearted men earning a Spriggan's love and sharing a bed with them, such tales are always either entirely false or end with blood and splinters. It is also well known that for their tool-crafted mock-beauty the Spriggan have earned the jealous hatred of Dibella and her acolytes. Each time a Spriggan is set afire the goddess paints the flames with joyful colors.
Volume 11
The Mudcrab
This is a common name given to several species of large crustacean that inhabit silted areas close to water. Though not commonly thought of as predators, all varieties share a taste for flesh and are in turn consumed as a delicacy or as a staple food by many societies. It is common amongst the clans of Valenwood for relatives who have died of disease to be fed as carrion to the mudcrabs, which are then themselves consumed by the family of the deceased. In this way the traditional death rites can be observed without risk of spreading any illness.
The Tinmi Dragon
The Tinmi Dragon is a large aquatic beast of the river Niben and its tributaries. Its folk name refers to its bulk more than to its nature, for it bears no likeness or relation to the winged tyrants of the Dawn, instead having a more mammalian appearance. Though its calves are born pale, its hide is usually a dark umber, dyed by the similarly named riverbed soil in which it is often found basking. The Tinmi Dragon commands a deep respect for the Slave Queen and her memory and will act as a stepping stone across streams for those who intone her name and proceed barefoot in her example.
The Troll
A large, ape-like monster, fond of lurking in caves and forests across Tamriel. Western breeds are distinguished by a remarkable third eye on the forehead. Trolls have the ability to recover from any wound, and, unless scorched by fire, can even return from death. This has led the Order of Arkay and many Meridian cults to declare the troll a revenant beast, to be exterminated under their various divine pacts. Trollbone is a popular material for armor among the Nords, who believe that the regenerative capacity of the trolls will keep their armor in good condition, and may even heal the user in their hour of need. They are not alone in this supposition: trollbone charms and amulets can be found among the Reachmen, the Bjoulsae tribes and various Bosmer clans. Furthermore, powdered trollbone is a popular ingredient in Nibenese rejuvenation potions, and the extinct Kothringi nomads were said to hammer sharp splinters of trollbone under their skins in times of war.
The Mockmouth
The daunting offspring of a giant borne by another creature. Upon encountering a mockmouth, one must promptly insult it or risk being attacked and devoured. They can vary in size and appearance, though they are always greatly misshapen. Mockmouths are of the few alarmingly dangerous beasts one might yet never encounter, due to both their indeterminate shape and their stark aversion to courteous contests of arms.
The Kohl Frog
A species of amphibian ubiquitous across Black Marsh and the bordering regions of Morrowind and Cyrodiil. Kohl Frogs reproduce in a unique fashion. When a Kohl Patriarch dies in the deepest swamps of Black Marsh its corpse disintegrates into thousands of tiny frogs no more than an inch long. These are swept into the air by the wind and carried hundreds of miles in every direction. During heavy thunderstorms they fall to the ground with the rain and begin the long journey back to their spawning pools. Kohl Frogs have a ravenous appetite, and once they have exhausted an area of insect life they will eat almost anything else that can fit in their stomachs, including their siblings. The Patriarchs that make it back to their spawning pool can be decades old and the size of a Colovian town-house. In Morrowind they are regarded as Argonian spies and the Dark Elves operate a kill-on-sight policy against them. In Cyrodiil they are harvested to make the hallucinogenic drug Kohllano, which is used in several Nibenese rituals.
Volume 17
The Dreugh
Common parlance necessitates the inclusion of the Dreugh in this bestiary, but its place here among the baser creatures of lakes and oceans is otherwise wholly unwarranted. Pearl divers, shipwreck survivors and many others who make their living by the water will speak to their sapience. Indeed, tales of their deep water palaces come to us from all the known oceans, suggesting their civilization is in few ways inferior to those of the terrestrial denizens of Tamriel. This fact is the basis of a long-standing theory that the Dreugh are survivors from some unknown earlier age of the world, though much reduced in power. Whatever the truth of it, the Dreugh are reclusive and their aquatic habitat means few can follow where they go. Perhaps the catastrophe that separates their epoch of glory from our own taught them the simple virtue of remaining as unfathomable as the waters that are their home.
The Wormmouth
Vicious bipedal lizard-monsters that roam the rugged wilderness of the High Rock-Skyrim borderlands, Wormmouths are characterized by their insatiable drive to rend flesh with their massive filth-spewing jaws. Known for breeding surprisingly fast given their large size, Nord tradition attributes their origin to the maggots that feasted on the corpse of their Chief-God, Shor. The Witchmen warriors of High Rock commonly don armor stitched together from their thick hides.
The Hare or Ground Racer
Portents of shifting luck that trace and inhabit the warrens of Nirn. Hares can change sex at will, though only when they reach adult age. They breed so confusingly fast that females among a litter are said to sometimes give birth while still in the mother's womb. Depending on its gender when caught, hare flesh is accordingly used to treat barren women or seedless men. Hares are associated with deception and cunning, and Wood Elf sorcerers are said to favor their form as a disguise when traveling incognito through the lands of Men.
The Snow Whale
Much is written in Nordic lore of the snow whales, majestic beings that live among the highest mountain peaks and freely move through air, snow and ice as if swimming through water. Childrens' stories portray snow whales as the singers of clouds, and claim that their emanations are the cause of all the joy in the world. This is why Nords and children alike grow cheerful in the snow, and celebrate the cold weather even as it obstructs their paths and endangers their crops.
The Moth
There are many kinds of moths to be found in Tamriel, but all are derived from the Luna Moth, which migrates annually between Nirn and its moons in swarms of a million or more and in so doing marks out the safe aurbic currents used by travelers and mystics. In more recent times the moth has become a symbol of the Empire, the Legion and of the Elder Council. They have a relationship with the dead (hence the Cult of the Ancestor Moth), but the nature of this connection remains a secret to the uninitiated. They are not indigenous to our world, but can be found in Skyrim, Cyrodiil and High Rock. Their migrating swarms sometimes attempt to reach Morrowind, but they are killed by the ash cloud of Red Mountain and fall to the ground like countless autumn leaves.
IN DEDICATION TO THE EMPEROR URIEL SEPTIM VII