Bethesda Softworks and The Elder Scrolls franchise changed the game when it comes to fantasy RPGs. After all, The Elder Scrolls showed players that their characters could play an extremely crucial role in the lives of the many people they meet. And thanks to the lore throughout the series, any newcomer to The Elder Scrolls can find themselves immediately immersed in the various cultures and conflicts of Tamriel’s regions.

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Unfortunately, eagle-eyed lore fans may also find inconsistencies in the series' lore that can affect their overall appreciation of The Elder Scrolls. Granted, retcons and corrections are expected with lore for the franchise spanning four massive games and an ongoing MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online. However, specific inconsistencies in the lore may turn out to break immersion.

10 The Settling Of House Redoran

The Elden Root where Hlethena Vando resides

Players who take their time touring Valenwood in ESO will likely end up in Elden Root and meet Hlethena Vando, the Dark Elf gatherer of House Hlaalu. She has simple lines of dialogue when spoken to, mostly about her origins from Morrowind. However, players might want to try eavesdropping on her comments on the large tree.

Most notable of these comments was her comparison of the tree with Emperor Crab Skar. Just as people live in Elden Root, she said that the Redorans in Ald’ruhn also live in a massive crab shell. Eagle-eyed lore fans might notice that this statement is wrong, as House Redoran has yet to settle in Ald’ruhn during ESO’s timeframe.

9 The Ambiguity Of Red Bramman

Red Bramman the Pirate

Despite being set in a medieval fantasy world, Tamriel has its fair share of pirates. Courtesy of Oblivion and the Legends card game, it appears someone called Red Bramman gained infamy in the seas. Unfortunately for him, his many exploits attracted the attention of the Imperial Navy and his capture led to his eventual execution.

In Legends, the Red Bramman card depicts the pirate as an Argonian in red skin. This representation contradicts his original description in previous sources, which declared him as human. In the Pocket Guide to the Empire sourcebook, Bramman served as one of the Argonians’ first interactions with humans.

8 The Underwhelming Volkihar Vampires

A Volkihar Vampire

When players got to read the “Immortal Blood” book in Oblivion, Skyrim, and ESO, they would soon realize that this elaborated a lot of things regarding Vampires. Aside from imparting knowledge on how to fight these supernatural creatures, the book did share knowledge on other kinds of Vampires. In particular, it depicted Volkihar Vampires with other abilities. These include freezing breaths, passing through ice, and even living under frozen lakes.

However, as players would see through Lord Harkon and his court in Volkihar Keep, none of them possessed these abilities. Granted, being a book, “Immortal Blood” may have some hint of fiction. Moreover, Vampires in Tamriel do have inconsistent stories. Regardless, the lack of these special abilities does dull someone’s impressions of the Volkihar.

7 The Time Period Of Pelagiad

The settlement town of Pelagiad

Players who took their time to tour Morrowind’s Vvardenfell will likely visit Pelagiad, a small town in the Ascadian Isles. According to in-game dialogue, the Imperial Legion built Fort Pelagiad on 3E 414 and tasked House Hlaalu to guard its nearby roads to Balmora, Vivec, and Seyda Neen. Soon, farms and shops built around the area transformed the Fort into a settlement known today.

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However, players who finished the Mages Guild questline in ESO will get to see the “Military Orders and Reports” collection, which contained “Letter to Rana.” In here, General Vayne Redoran of Vivec Garrison will relieve Captain Rana of her duties commanding “Pelagiad Garrison.” This is inconsistent with the timeline, as ESO is set in the Second Era, meaning Pelagiad hasn’t been established yet. Lawrence Schick, the former ESO lead writer, also confirmed this error.

6 The Changing Landscape Of Cyrodiil

A view of Cyrodiil

Back in the days of Arena and Daggerfall, Cyrodiil of the late Second Era was described as an endless jungle. By the time Oblivion was released, players saw Cyrodiil as land with rather calm forests and plains. Mankar Camoran of the Mythic Dawn attributed this to Tiber Septim, who may have used the mystical CHIM to transform Cyrodiil’s climate. In the lore, CHIM is akin to a “state of being” that can alter reality.

Interestingly enough, ESO still depicts Cyrodiil in the same way as it appears in Oblivion. This difference is substantial, given ESO occurs around 300 years before Tiber Septim’s birth.

5 The Moral Crisis Of The Crusader’s Relics

The Crusaders Relics

Back in the “Knights of the Nine” content of Oblivion, the Crusader’s Relics served as the pristine armor worn by the Divine Crusader, Pelinal Whitestrake, in his battle to banish Umaril the Unfeathered. Players of Skyrim will see the return of the Crusader’s Relics in the “Divine Crusader” content set, alongside a new quest.

In it, players are tasked to retrieve the original Crusader’s Relics alongside a weaker Reforged variant. Moreover, players have to fight two bandits wearing both sets in order to retrieve them. This appearance serves as a huge contradiction to the nature of the Relics, as “Knights of the Nine” specified that only someone of upstanding morals can wear the Crusader’s Relics.

4 The Case Of Keening And Wraithguard

Keening the Weapon

Players will fondly remember Keening and Wraithguard from Morrowind, as these items appear essential to the main quest. These served as two of three tools created by the Dwemer to properly harness the destructive energies of the Heart of Lorkhan. At its core, players need to wear Wraithguard to safely wield Keening, as wielding the latter without it damages players randomly every second.

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However, such enchantments disappear entirely in Skyrim. When the Dragonborn wields Keening without Wraithguard, Gane was even dumbfounded that the former didn’t die instantly. Some might see this as downplaying a powerful weapon back in Morrowind. Meanwhile, others might say the span of time between Morrowind and Skyrim may have weakened Keening’s enchantments.

3 The Original Khajiit Looked Close To Humans

Different furstocks of Khajiit

Of all Tamriel’s races that went through design changes, it’s the Khajiit that had the lore modified to suit their evolution (and answer this inconsistency). For instance, Arena depicts and describes the Khajiit with the appearance of the common man, albeit with a preference for face paint to denote their legendary ties with felines. In Daggerfall, these remain the same but with more prevalent fur and tail.

It’s in Morrowind that players both see the more modern depiction of the Khajiit. More importantly, lore in subsequent games explained that Khajiit actually have 17 variations or furstocks. Apparently, the Khajiit in Arena are the man-like Ohmes, while Daggerfall’s is the furried and tailed Ohmes-raht. Other games like ESO gave players options to choose other Khajiit furtstocks.

2 The Forgotten Hero Story Should Not Have Happened

The Forgotten Hero in Elder Scrolls

Fans of Oblivion who went straight into the Legends card game in 2017 might scratch their heads with “The Forgotten Hero” story. This tale, which acts as the game’s tutorial story, takes place in the Great War after the Oblivion Crisis. In it, the Thalmor of the Third Aldmeri Dominion waged war with the Third Empire. While the eponymous Forgotten Hero led the Empire to victory, the Oblivion Crisis made sure the crux of the Thalmor invasion shouldn’t have happened.

At its core, Lord Naarfin, a Daedra worshipper, led an invasion of Daedra into the Imperial City to fulfill a prophecy called The Culling. However, Naarfin shouldn’t have been able to summon them. After all, the ending of Oblivion ensured that the Liminal Barriers, or the barriers that separate worlds, won’t allow large-scale summonings of Daedra.

1 The Soulburst, Oblivion Crisis May Not Have Occurred

The Oblivion Crisis and the Soulburst

As fans may remember, Akatosh and the Cyrodillic Empire had a covenant through Saint Alessia. Each Dragonborn Emperor had to use the Amulet to light the Dragonfires in their coronation, as these served as barriers between Oblivion and Nirn, or the planet. It’s the darkening of these Dragonfires that left Nirn open to Oblivion and the threat of the Daedra. This happened through the Soulburst (courtesy of Mannimarco, servant of Molag Bal) and later again in the Oblivion Crisis (through Mankar Camoran, servant of Mehrunes Dagon).

However, Dragonfires aren’t the only ones supposedly protecting Nirn from instability. Since the Dawn Era, Nirn became home of the Towers, which is a set of eight towers that ensured stability in Mundus, or the universe. Granted, the Towers may not have been built to protect Nirn from extradimensional threats. However, the Towers not being able to protect Nirn from threats outside Mundus seemed contradictory to its goal of keeping Mundus stable.

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