Compared to the other races of Tamriel, the Redguards might seem like average warriors. However, this race has one of the most unique histories in The Elder Scrolls series. The High Elves might have a reputation for looking down on the other races for not living up to their standards, but the Redguards look down on everyone for being weak.
The Redguards are considered the best warriors in Tamriel. They have agility and endurance that very few can rival in combat. They are proud and not afraid to get their hands dirty if it means keeping their home and people safe. What are some must-know facts about the Redguards?
10 They Wiped Out An Entire Continent
Before they lived in Tamriel, the Redguards lived on a continent called Yokuda. During this time, they were constantly at war with another race that lived on Yokuda known as the Lefthanded Elves or Sinistral Elves. While not much is known about the Lefthanded Elves, it is known that they had an empire that stretched all over Yokuda. This empire was four times bigger than the Septim Empire, the greatest empire in Tamrielic history.
While they were at war, Diagna, an avatar of the Yokudan god HoonDing, brought powerful weapons that were instrumental in pushing back the elves. The Yokudans eventually used a forbidden technique known as the Pankratosword to defeat the Lefthanded Elves. Said to be able to destroy reality itself, this technique wiped out Yokuda, leaving nothing of the continent.
9 Every Redguard Is Expected To Learn How To Fight
The Redguards are proud, strong warriors. They have schools that train those who wish to become warriors. Every man, woman, and child is taught the ways of war and combat.
Though every Redguard is trained in combat, only the strongest, fastest, and smartest are accepted into paid militias since Hammerfell has no standing military. Others will be sent into knightly orders in service of the royal families or become sellswords.
8 They're Newcomers In Tamriel Compared To Other Races
Compared to the other groups in Tamriel, the Redguards are considered a new race. By the time they invaded Hammerfell, all other races had established themselves. Though they're new, the Redguards quickly announced themselves as brutal warriors and gained a reputation as barbarians and cutthroats.
For a long time, the Redguards kept to themselves and did not want to associate with the other races outside Hammerfell. It was only after they found a common enemy in the Orcs did they open trade with the Bretons. After this, the Redguards decided to trade with the other provinces and learned the Common Tongue language to better communicate.
7 The Aldmeri Dominion Doesn't Have Any Rule In Hammerfell
The Aldmeri Dominion, a High Elf supremacist group, fought against the Imperial Legion in Cyrodiil and Hammerfell. After losing the Imperial City temporarily, Emperor Titus Mede II managed to take it back from the High Elves. In order to bring some peace to his people, he agreed to let the Aldmeri Dominion have the southern portion of Hammerfell.
As the Redguards refused to let the Dominion rule their land, they continued fighting. Consequently, Emperor Titus Mede II had no choice but to renounce Hammerfell from the Empire. Both sides fought to a standstill and the Dominion completely withdrew from Hammerfell. Though successful in driving the Dominion out, the Redguards remain bitter towards the Empire for abandoning them.
6 They Took Hammerfell By Force
When the Yokudans came to Hammerfell, they did not come in peace. After losing their home continent, the warrior-wave also known as the Ra Gada sailed east of Yokuda and began conquering the province. They fought off the ancient Nords/Nedes, Imperials, Bretons, and Orcs from Hammerfell within a few months.
The Redguards proved that they were strong warriors and conquered all of Hammerfell after a few major battles with the Bretons and Orcs. Later on, they fought off two Goblin invasions. Anyone who dares to invade Hammerfell will have a tough fight on their hands as the Redguards are known for their stamina and have some poison resistance similar to the Wood Elves.
5 They Will Not Fight Any Undead
The Redguards hold their dead in such high respect that they will not fight any undead. This leaves Hammerfell vulnerable against necromancers and the Redguards eventually had to be ready for this possibility. The Ash'abah was created and they travel around Hammerfell to cleanse mausoleums and destroy any undead that appears.
Though their services are secretly appreciated, they are shunned from normal Redguard society and are forced to live a nomadic lifestyle. Some of them live in the northern wastes of Hammerfell and travel when necessary.
4 They Are Broken Into Two Political Groups
The Redguards are formally divided into two socio-political groups: the Crowns and the Forebears. The Crowns are descendants of the High King and the Na-Totambu who ruled Yokuda. They wish to keep the traditions of their ancient homeland, holding it in high regard and want nothing to do with outsiders. The Forebears wish to assimilate with other cultures and seek modernity.
Though it seems like a social issue, both groups have fought each other before over their differences and broke Hammerfell into civil war. Despite the disagreements they have, both groups have been known to put their differences aside when it comes to war or events that threaten all of Hammerfell.
3 They Have Never Been Truly Defeated By Invading Forces
Because of their martial lifestyle, the Redguards have not been defeated outright by any invading forces. Though Tiber Septim, the Emperor of Tamriel, was able to absorb Hammerfell into the Empire in the second era, he did not do so with his army alone. During this time, Hammerfell was in a civil war between the Crowns and the Forebears.
Tiber Septim backed the Forebears and sent his army to help them conquer Hammerfell and had the Crown's last leader, Prince A'Tor assassinated. Later in the fourth era, the Redguards would fight the Dominion to a standstill, causing the latter to completely withdraw from Hammerfell.
2 They Have A Great Dislike For Magic
The Redguards are proud warriors who prefer using weapons like swords. They view those who use magic as weak or evil. Conjuration is related to Necromancy and conflicts with their reverence for the dead. Some schools that teach the Way of the Sword forbid their warriors from having enchanted weapons.
Though they have a great dislike for magic, some Redguards will accept those that know Destruction magic. This is only because Destruction magic is more suited for their culture.
1 They Are From Another Timeline
The Redguards are from a different timeline in Tamriel. In the Elder Scrolls series, there are time periods known as Kalpa Cycles. These cycles are repetitive and when Satakal, the Redguard God of Everything, ends the world, a new one is born.
In the book from The Elder Scrolls Online, The Hunger of Sep, it is revealed that some of the Yokudans were able to cross through the Far Shores, the afterlife of Redguards, to avoid the end of the previous timeline. They were able to cross into Tamriel and eventually ended up in Hammerfell.