Lore:Akaviri

Akaviri is used to refer to any sentient creature that inhabits Akavir, such as the Kamal and Tang Mo. No mer have ever lived there; the men that did live in Akavir were all "eaten" long ago by the Vampiric Serpent Folk of Tsaesci.

Akaviri in Tamriel

Duadeen, a half-akaviri mercenary lord

An illustration accompanying Against the Snakes of a person facing an Akaviri opponent with a serpent-like shadow cast over them

In Tamrielic history, the Akaviri first appeared as pirates. The Imperial Geographic Society speculated that these could have been scouts for the eventual invasions. The strange beastfolk that manned these ships horrified early Tamriel inhabitants. After the Rourken clan of Dwemer vanished without a trace and abandoned their cities, Akaviri and Nordic pirates plundered them for any value left.

Akaviri pirates and raiders are prevalent in the Iliac Bay region. Back when Wayrest was a small fishing village around 1E 800, pirates and raiders took over the islands on the Bjoulsae River, west of the present-day city. In 1E 2702, a year prior to the First Akaviri Invasion, the city's entire population was forced to move into the Gardners' walled estate to avoid Akaviri raiders, among other issues. On writing the history of Daggerfall, Odiva Gallwood believed that had the kingdom not prepared for battles in the next thousand years to come, the Iliac Bay would have been Akavirian.

Dragons

Laatvulon, a Black Dragon said to be from the East

Dragons (also known as drakes, wyrms or worms, dov or dovah in their native language, drah-gkon or dov-rha to the ancient Nords, or Aka in Ehlnofex) are a rarely-seen race of large reptilian beasts of Aedric nature. They are rumored to be from Akavir (which literally means "Dragon Land"), though there are ancient tales of Dragons also coming from Atmora. They are large, scaled creatures, easily several times larger than a human or elf. They have long, slender extremities, with thin bat-like wings and ridges of spikes along their back. Dragons have three sharp talons and one vestigial digit known as a dewclaw on each of their feet, as evidenced by the way their alphabet is written. They are regularly said to breathe fire, but more accurately, they speak it. They speak words in their language a certain way, known as a Thu'um or "Shout", to cause many effects, including elemental breaths such as fire or frost.

Dragons are well-known for their affinity for magic. It is unknown how they possess the ability to speak and fly despite their lack of lips or the fact that their wings are not naturally strong enough to support such heavy torsos. There are several varieties of Dragon that come in a range of colors. As the immortal children of Akatosh, they are specially attuned to the flow of time, and they feel an innate urge to dominate others that is near-impossible to overcome. Some sources suggest both dragons and Dragonborn are fragments of Akatosh's soul.

For more information, see the main lore article.

Kamal

The Kamal (or Kamali) are a race of snow demons who live in Akavir. The word means "Snow Hell".

The snow demons spend the winter frozen solid, but, when summer comes, they thaw out and attack Tang Mo, always unsuccessfully.

In 2E 572, the Kamal invaded Tamriel under their king, Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal, reportedly searching for a person or object they called the "Ordained Receptacle". The Kamal fleet bypassed Morrowind entirely and landed near Windhelm in Eastern Skyrim, catching the Nords off-guard and sacking the city. Oddly, the Kamal army then headed south but ignored Riften, marching into the Stonefalls region of Morrowind. There, on a beach just to the west of Ebonheart that would later be named Vivec's Antlers, they were surrounded by a Dunmer army led by Almalexia and a Nord army led by Prince Jorunn. The Kamal fought ferociously, hoping to last long enough for their fleet to arrive and evacuate them, but, at the last moment, a phalanx of Argonians joined the fray. With the aid of a tidal wave summoned by Vivec, the Kamal were obliterated by the three unlikely allies.

This was not the last Tamriel would see of the Kamal, however. Sometime before 2E 812, remnants of the Kamal invasion force who had somehow survived the slaughter at Vivec's Antlers resurfaced in Cyrodiil, seizing the Ruby Throne from the successors of the warlord Attrebus. The Kamal were soon joined by the Akaviri of Rimmen, who had previously fled to Elsweyr to avoid Attrebus' persecution. The Kamal and Rimmen Akaviri attempted to rebuild the Empire, but the effort was doomed to failure.

For more information, see the main lore article.

Ka Po' Tun

The Ka Po' Tun (or tiger-dragons) are a race of tiger-like cat-folk who live on the continent of Akavir. It is unknown to what extent they are similar or related to the Khajiit. Although all of the races have fought each other at various times, the Ka Po' Tun consider the Tsaesci to be their greatest enemies. They have recently allied themselves with the Tang Mo.

The leader of the Ka Po' Tun is Tosh Raka. He is rumored to be a divine being who was the first of his race to succeed at becoming a dragon. Although some believe the story is metaphorical, Mysterious Akavir claims that the change was indeed physical and that Tosh Raka has all the characteristics of a dragon, with a tiger-like coloring. Under the rulership of Tosh Raka, the former Po Tun were renamed to Ka Po' Tun and became a rival to the supremacy of Tsaesci. After the ultimate defeat of the Tsaesci, they plan to invade Tamriel.

For more information, see the main lore article.

Tang Mo

The Tang Mo are generous and kind monkey-folk. Tang Mo translates as "the Thousand Monkey Isles", which refers to the area where they live. There are various breeds of Tang Mo. They are very brave and simple, and many are also believed to be insane. They can raise armies when they must, for all of the other Akaviri nations have, at one time or another, tried to enslave them. So far the Tang Mo have always succeeded in defending their lands. Recently they have shrewdly allied themselves with their former enemies, the Ka Po' Tun.

For more information, see the main lore article.

Tsaesci

The Tsaesci also known as the serpent-folk or snake men, are a race originating from the continent of Akavir, east of Tamriel. While the racial status of the Tsaesci is ambiguous, with some sources claiming them as a human race while others claim them as a race of beastfolk, all known encounters with Tsaesci show they are at least a race of humanoids, with some looking indistinguishable from humans. However, the possibility of Tsaesci being shapeshifters further increases the ambiguity of their status.

For more information, see the main lore article.

Other

Early documented encounters between the Akaviri and the earliest inhabitants of Tamriel suggest that there may be Akaviri people with rat-like features, and others who are canine in appearance. This suggests Akaviri cultures that have yet to be discovered and perhaps may be extinct, or otherwise have been displaced.

Notes

1.The meaning of term "eaten" as given from what is known of the land of Akavir is not clear. Although description of the "vampiric" 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 Fort Pale Pass 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 enslaved by the Tsaesci. The Akaviri-made Alduin's Wall shows members of the Dragonguard appearing to be human-looking.

2.An older version of the Wayrest, Jewel of the Bay from the mid-Second Era omits any mention of Akaviri pirates, while a newer version from the late Third Era mentions Akaviri pirates.

• The tanto and wakizashi are styled after Akaviri blades.