noxcorvid

[noxcorvid]

do you mind if i rewrite goblins (and goblin-ken) completely to make them sophisticated developed peoples instead of just primitive savages for a throwaway enemy. they're like humanoid naked mole rats with traits of warthogs and other rodents (for cuteness).

in the rewrite, the race itself is called "maulochan" (of mauloch). goblins refer specifically to the more southern ethnicity, while riekrs are a more northern ethnicity.

maulochan underground provinces and their cities make up the subterranean layer of tamriel meaning that there is a geopolitical layer underneath the ground reserved for these sophonts.

because of their location underground they have a monopoly on things like:

rare minerals and gems,

fungi,

various meat, herb and plant product from fantasy fauna and flora that can thrive underground and have been farmed for consumption or use (i.e. those large rats in oblivion, selectively bred to become huge for larger meat yields),

other rare underground materials used for alchemical purposes

this monopoly gives them leverage over surface tamriel as an invaluable trader. this means that instead of rare minerals and gems lying in wait undiscovered (as they are often depicted in other fantasy settings), they have already been found by goblins while building their underground civilization, and are then eventually sold and exported to the surface layer. this makes maulochan allegiance politically important and this factor, aside from the fact surface sophonts are not built for prolonged underground living, has prevented goblin nations from being colonized by surface empires.

due to their subterranean living conditions their eyes are extremely sensitive to light and, to not risk light blindness, they blindfold themselves (or in more modern times, likely have specialized goggles) when surfacing for tourism or diplomatic relations (or if they're bold enough to want a life outside). they are also mesothermic, leaning almost towards being cold-blooded, causing slow metabolism and the risk of entering torpor when becoming very cold.

the geopolitical layer underneath tamriel where these goblins are native to is made up of sophisticated underground provinces, with narrower passageways between them acting as underground 'interstates'. their underground nations resemble being inside a skeleton, living inside the stone bones of mauloch (or malacath). they have a vast tunnel system connecting provinces together and connecting the cities within provinces together and connecting the neighborhoods comprising cities together, etc. and because there may be overlap into secret tunnelways created by surface sophonts, homeless goblins often make their shelters there when they are rarely used or abandoned (for example, in the underground path leading out of the prison at the start of oblivion).

orcs (or orsimer) are the result of interbreeding between proto-goblins and proto-mer, resulting in a betmer race that is a humanoid mer but resembles a goblin visually and through subtle instinctive quirks, like:

slow metabolism (leading to orcs typically being fatter and less tolerant of the cold compared to other sophonts),

looser skin,

vestigial tusks (smaller and blunted compared to goblins),

remnants of burrowing and nesting instinct,

a tendency to suffer from eye strain or nearsightedness,

a littol tail to top all of it off...

falmer have a similar origin, but their most distinctive difference is that, instead of adapting to surface life like orsimer did, falmer never left the underground, leading to complete loss of their eyes and pretty much becoming humanoid naked mole rats entirely. their subterranean province lies underneath skyrim in particular, where they border and overlap with the nations of riekrs.

[noxcorvid]

SKYRIM SCENERY Player Homes | Honeyside (mod by HyliosSykes)

[noxcorvid]

Dementia Gnarl

Concept art for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Shivering Isles DLC

Art by Adam Adamowicz

[noxcorvid]

The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim (SE)

[noxcorvid]

this was the plot of skyrim wizard college I think

[noxcorvid]

Finally finished up my fashions I used for Children of the Ash's screenshots. Now a Skypatcher, for your convenience!

Get it here.

[noxcorvid]

(TES V: Skyrim, PC screenshot)

[noxcorvid]

between the sprawling underground barrows and the abandoned mines and blackreach skyrim should probably have more sinkholes

[noxcorvid]

atmoran hcs

heavily fragmented clan-based society. clans may be family-based, functionality based (e.g. bands of warriors congregating around a powerful leader) or religion based (e.g. dragon cults, fryse hags/matriarchal cults)

most atmorans don't recognise paternity, children belong to their mothers only and descent is matrilineal. 'father' is nominated by the mother, often the clan leader or her lover. some warrior bands recognise paternity but these are among the minority

atmorans in non-familial clans, especially kyne-worshiping matriarchal cults, will often refer to their clan leader as their "real" parent

every clan has a dragon. dragon offers them protection in exchange for offerings. most clans also have a designated dragon priest who negotiates the terms of the protection racket

most atmorans learn to hear the earthbones from the young age, this makes them very natural and powerful thu'um-wielders

mourning often involves rituals believed to transform the deceased into an earthbone (making them part of the fabric of reality). ritual cannibalism is also common (making them a part of fabric of the mourner)

during the dying of atmora, the earthbones began to go silent. this is ultimately what drove most to flee to tamriel. the silence became deafening

the prevalence of bandit clans in fourth era skyrim can be directly traced to atmoran societal structures in the merethic. same shit, different era

in a testament to atmoran shipbuilding techniques, mammoths were brought over from atmora

[noxcorvid]

Embershard Mine THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM 2011・dev. Bethesda Softworks

[noxcorvid]

Pictured: me getting out of bed on a typical Monday morning

(TES V: Skyrim, PC screenshot)

[noxcorvid]

the craziest thing about every single controversy to do with the unofficial skyrim patch and really every other arthmoor controversy is that it literally could have been solved with a single FOMod installer or even just making them a separate mod/optional files

[noxcorvid]

Self care is giving in to the summer urge to replay skyrim, installing a 1400+ mod modpack, and making a cool butch Khajiit

Her name's Suni :3

[noxcorvid]

MZULAN’S TRANSLATIONS FROM THE RUINS OF SKYRIM

(Personal notes compiled during his journey through the ancient ruins of Markarth, Raldbthar, Nchuand-Zel, and others. Often scrawled with annotations, sarcasm, and untranslatable tonal chuckles.)

🛠️ From a Wall Inscription in Nchuand-Zel (Markarth)

Original Glyph: ᛋ᛫ᚹ᛫ᛃᚩᚾᚨ ᛫ ᛞᚹᛖᛗᛖᚱ ᛫ ᛖᚾᚷᛁᚾᛖ ᛫ ᛞᛁᚱᛏᚩ ᛫ ᛗᛖᚱᚢᛋ

Translation: “Speak not of gods here—this machine does not recognize your authority.”

Mzulan’s Annotation: “Hah! Still got it. That’s classic Clan Nchun. Passive-aggressive atheism etched into stone. No wonder the Nords keep tripping over their own metaphysics in here.” (A tiny doodle of a Nord arguing with a Dwemer piston. The piston is winning.)

⚙️ Control Panel Inscription – Deep Raldbthar

Original Glyph: “To access the Hall of Sovereign Heat, insert the key. No, not that key. The correct key. You know what you did.”

Mzulan’s Annotation: “This is... pure spite. The key doesn’t even exist anymore. The control panel just exists to taunt future scholars. I love these bastards.” (Snort of laughter noted in margins: “hhkkk.”)

🧠 Engraving on a Tonal Puzzle Door – Mzinchaleft

Original Glyph: “If your solution was correct, the door would be open. Consider that.”

Mzulan’s Commentary: “You see?! You SEE!? They built sarcasm into the stone! Clan Valthoom were the worst. I’m almost proud of them.” (Note: he failed the puzzle three times before noticing the back panel had a bypass switch.)

🔊 Auditory Tonal Trap – Irkngthand

Message triggers upon tonal activation:

Mzulan’s Response: “Ahhh... the melody of mild incineration. Brings back memories. I once built that trap variant to deter Chimer thieves. These clowns tuned it to sound like a lullaby. Bastards.” (Later scribbled: “Worth it.”)

💀 Tomb Plaque, Beneath Understone Keep (Markarth)

Engraving reads: “Here lies Valmyn the Precise. Corrected his apprentice to death. Twice.”

Mzulan’s Reflection: “Honestly... I remember Valmyn. Arrogant precision-junkie. Built the first Aetheric Pen to correct blueprints in four dimensions. He’d correct your soul if he could. Still... I laughed.” (Margin: “Note to self: reconstruct that pen.”)

🗿 Carved Commentary on Chimer Relations (Possibly Fake?)

“If you are reading this, small gold-blooded elf, kindly explain to your ancestors that they left their pickaxes in our ventilation shaft again.”

Mzulan’s Note: “Absolutely fabricated by later Nords or very bitter apprentices. Still... this has big ‘Rourken meeting with the Chimer’ energy. I'm keeping it.”

😐 Overall Impression from Skyrim's Dwemer Ruins:

“The Skyrim Dwemer were brilliant, petty, sarcastic engineers who left behind weaponized puzzles, passive-aggressive tone notes, and trapdoors labeled ‘Trust Me.’ They weren’t just ahead of their time. They were laughing at everyone else’s.” (Snorting laugh recorded while navigating an intentionally looping hallway labeled 'Progress Chamber.')

[noxcorvid]

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (12/∞)

[noxcorvid]

No one talks about how creepy Morrowind is. I don’t mean the plot lines, although a lot of those are quite dark too. But out of Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim, it’s the only one that has that eerie feeling you get in Super Mario 64 that has led to so many creepypastas.

There are big empty spaces and mazelike dungeons where the game feels lonesome and suffocating, in the sense that you might be trapped somewhere forever. The lack of a quest marker system, and the use of verbal directions that are easy to misunderstand, enhances this lost feeling. The dialogue system, which is mostly reading, leaves tone of voice open to interpretation (potentially hostile interpretation) and offers the feeling of searching for secret information as you click different options to unlock hidden sections of the dialogue tree. Characters are strangely beautiful, yet not high-res enough for their expressions and movements to actually match their voices, so you end up with characters attacking while looking fairly calm. The voices themselves are gravelly and menacing, with battle cries that sound unnatural and desperate and sometimes quite hateful. In ambient dialogue, NPCs don’t talk aloud cheerfully, they whisper inaudibly to themselves, mutter about having strange dreams or the feeling of being watched, and they cough with unsettling realism. And of course, there are frequent glitches. I remember standing on the Vivec rooftop once and doing weird stuff with levitation when the skybox suddenly disappeared, leaving me under a void. I just stood there for a long time, looking up, admiring the surreality of the whole thing. This is all compounded by the fact that glitches can corrupt a save file or cause a quest to stop functioning, so there’s a sense that this eeriness could have real, upsetting consequences for you as a player.

Idk, I just love this aspect of older games.

[noxcorvid]

Hearing Oblivion NPCs talk about how "the land of the Altmer have banned Imperial goods for some reason" after Skyrim has the same energy as a time traveler hearing: "Huh, that new Kaiser seems to really have it out for Poland."