The secrets hidden withinThe Elder Scrollsfranchise are vast and deep, and they can be found around just about every corner. From god-kings of mushroom lands to sword-swinging warriors from other timelines, it’s hard not to stumble upon a mystery when playing one of the many games in the series. However, some secrets around races like the argonians are hidden in plain sight.
The Elder Scrolls' argonians are among the most enigmatic and quirky races in Tamriel. These bipedal reptiles have both a rich history and culture, shrouded in mystery as a result of the overall lack of focus they receive throughout the series. However, the origins of the argonians as a species provide a particularly intriguing and dark mysteries to explore.
The Elder Scrolls' Argonians and The Hist
Unlike the other races of Tamriel, such as humans and elves,The Elder Scrolls' argonian loresuggests they do not descend from the same ancestral spirits. Most of the races of Tamriel have their origins dating back to ancestral spirits known as Ehlnofey. However, the argonians were created by another group of entities found on Nirn: the Hist, a sentient race of hive-minded trees.
While the Hist appear to just be a species of tree that secrete a strange sap, their origins go much deeper.The Hist trees are not of Nirn’s world, instead coming from a plane of Oblivion known as the “Realm of the Hist.” Black Marsh is theorized to possibly have been part of this realm, which is why most Hist trees are confined to that specific region of Tamriel. Unlike anything else that has come out of Oblivion, the Hist trees seem to possess the unique ability to alter beings.
This alteration ability likely led to thecreation ofThe Elder Scrolls' argonians, with the Hist selecting lizards for their hardy scales and four limbs to create a mobile work force. Argonians and the Hist are inseparable as a result. For example, if an argonian does not receive Hist sap while they are growing up, they become “disconnected” from the rest of their race; finding it difficult to pick up on social cues with others of their kind. Hist sap is also strongly suggested to be the substance that makes up the soul of an argonian, which is said to return to the Hist tree upon death. This makes their existence as entities more similar to the relationship between daedra and a daedric prince than the average human or elf.
However, the goals ofThe Elder Scrolls' sentient treesare currently unknown. According to the novelLord of Soulsby Gregory Keyes, the Hist’s ability to alter argonians did not stop at their evolution. Before the Oblivion Crisis, the Hist telepathically called argonians to Black Marsh to prepare. The Hist also saw fit to enhance their bodies, making them stronger and faster, and this was not the first time the Hist foresaw some kind of disastrous event. They also foresaw the slow decline of ancient argonian civilization, known as “Duskfall.”
Whether the Hist are planning something devious behind the scenes has yet to be revealed, making the argonians' role in whatever plans they might have somewhat worrisome.The Elder Scrolls 6may shed some light on this mystery, or even foreshadow future conflicts to come with the Hist, but at this point fans will just have to wait and see what Bethesda has in store.
The Elder Scrolls 6is in development.
MORE:The Elder Scrolls 6’s Main Plot May Already Have Been Spoiled
