History Characters / TheElderScrollsTheBeastRaces

* LackOfEmpathy: Sload are described as not feeling the same emotions other races do, but have some understanding of them and are capable of simulating them for diplomatic purposes when meeting with outsiders. They (in)famously do not feel anything for their victims, even likening the taking of their souls to having "coins in a pouch".

Though sharing a basic morphological pattern and mostly known for being reptilian in appearence, several subspecies of Argonians that deviate from this pattern are described in different accounts, most prominently the snake-like Naga, the toad-like Paatru, and the winged Sarpa. These subspecies are, however, rarely seen by outsiders to due being natives to the inner and most impenetrable parts of their swampy homeland, and they rarely ever venture outside their stomping grounds and for the most part seem to be, if not uninterested in contact with non-Argonian outsiders, then outright hostile to their presence in their territories.

'''Note:''' ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' lore is generally not clear-cut. Reasons for this range from [[UnreliableNarrator biased]] in-universe sources intentionally only giving you only one side of a story, to sources [[CriticalResearchFailure lacking critical information]] or working from [[BlatantLies false information]], to the implication that AllMythsAreTrue, despite the contradictions, or that at least all myths are MetaphoricallyTrue. [[WordOfGod Out-of-game developer supplemental texts]] (frequently referred to as "Obscure Texts" by the lore community) are more trustworthy, but are frequently left [[LooseCanon unofficial]] and sometimes later contradicted. Because of this, it is entirely possible for two contradictory statements in the below examples to ''both'' be true. (And due to frequent events in-universe that [[TimeCrash alter the timeline]], both may ''literally'' be true in-universe.)

* AlienLunch: Sload are said to serve various molds and fungi as meals. One account even mentions Sload consuming a regurgitated substance from one of their elders.

* AnAxeToGrind: Axes, along with massive [[DropTheHammer warhammers]], are favored weapons of the Minotaurs. They are strong enough to wield the two-handed variants of these weapons with one-hand, sometimes DualWielding them.

** Other sources state that they actually start life as perfectly ordinary lizards, and only mutate into their larger, sapient form when they consume hist sap.

** Other sources state that they actually start life as perfectly ordinary lizards, and only mutate into their larger, sapient from when they consume hist sap.

* ColdBloodedWhatever: They're LizardFolk whose physiology is chiefly and visibly reptilian, however they also have elements of amphibians (said to be "sequential hermaphrodites", meaning they can switch genders), and confirmed by Argonians in ''Online'' and fish (gills which allow them to breath underwater, and shows up in-game as a Water Breathing racial ability).

* ColdBloodedWhatever: They're LizardFolk whose physiology is chiefly and visibly reptilian, however they also have elements of amphibians (said to be "sequential hermaphrodites", meaning they can switch genders, and confirmed by Argonians in ''Online'' and fish (gills which allow them to breath underwater, and shows up in-game as a Water Breathing racial ability).

* WallCrawl: Due to their slug-like nature they have the ability to adhere to surfaces, allowing to climb vertical walls to some extend.

* {{Beastess}}: Some Khajiit females display traits along these lines, with their bestial appearances while being the equal of Khajiit males in combat.

* {{Beastess}}: Some Argonian females display traits along these lines, with their bestial appearances while being the equal of Argonian males in combat.

* TheUnfettered: Are utterly ruthless in the pursuit of their goals, with even genocide being on the table if it helps them achieve their ends.

* RapunzelHair: Khajiit will cut off their manes in deference to the Mane, who will have them weaved into his own mane. As the Khajiit population grew over time, this became impractical, so in modern times, only the Mane's own tribe and his royal guard will cut their manes in this fashion. Still, the Mane is so weighted down by the hair that movement is difficult without aid and he will often travel the countryside by means of a palanquin.

* WitchSpecies: Sload are naturally talented in various schools of magic, including necromancy and mysticism (particularly the taking of souls and teleportation spells).

* TheUnseen: They are mentioned in the series, but have not actually appeared. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as they are heavily implied to have been driven into extinction either by the Argonians and/or by a deadly disease known as the Knahaten Flu during the Second Era.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: They're intelligent "ape men" who are are naturally dexterous and are renowned for their agility. They are covered with hair, which some shave off in a (reportedly pathetic) attempt (along with powdering their skin) to imitate the Altmer.

* ALoadOfBull: Minotaurs have massive humanoid bodies with the head of a bull.

* LittleBitBeastly: The Ohmes and Ohmes-Raht subspecies have light fur and, in the latter's cases, a tail, but are otherwise completely humanoid, so much so that they're often mistaken for Bosmer. In order to avoid this misconception, many Ohmes [[FacialMarkings tattoo their faces]] to resemble their more feline cousins. The Ohmes and Ohmes-Raht are the most common form seen outside of the province of Elsweyr, taking advantage of other races' preference for their appearance to serve in positions of ambassadorship and trade.

* StickyFingers: A cultural trait of the Khajiit. Oddly justified given their language's lack of a word for "rules" and their culture's rather ''loose'' view of what constitutes "personal property" - the book ''The Buying Game'' states that even Khajiit shopkeepers are suspicious towards other Khajiit entering their stores. This is frequently used against them by the [[FantasticRacism Fantastic Racists]] of the other races to ban Khajiit from their cities and even to justify slavery. Naturally, Khajiit who have lived among the other races have shown the ability to get past this compulsion.

* LittleBitBeastly: The Ohmes and Ohmes-Raht subspecies have light fur and, in the latter's cases, a tail, but are otherwise completely humanoid, so much so that they're often mistaken for Bosmer. In order to avoid being mistaken as one of the Bosmer, many Ohmes [[FacialMarkings tattoo their faces]] to resemble their more feline cousins. The Ohmes and Ohmes-Raht are the most common form seen outside of the province of Elsweyr, taking advantage of other races' preference for their appearance to serve in positions of ambassadorship and trade.

* ScrewYouElves: After being victimized by the Dunmer for thousands of years with other outside forces (including the Septim Empire) doing very little to stop it, the Argonians fought back ''hard'' following the [[ChekhovsVolcano Red Year]]. They invaded what was left of habitable Morrowind, drove the Dunmer out, hunted House Telvanni to the brink of extinction, and claimed large swathes of land (and its valuable Ebony deposits) for themselves. Though House Redoran eventually stepped up and rallied an army of Dunmer which did eventually stop Argonians' advance, they were only partially successful in driving them back, and they still hold on to a piece of southernmost Morrowind by the time of ''Skyrim''.

* ScrewYouElves: After being victimized by the Dunmer for thousands of years with other outside forces (including the Septim Empire) doing very little to stop it, the Argonians fought back ''hard'' following the [[ChekhovsVolcano Red Year]]. They invaded what was left of habitable Morrowind, drove the Dunmer out, and claimed it (and its valuable Ebony deposits) for themselves. Though the Dunmer did eventually manage to stop their advance, they were only partially successful in driving the Argonians back, and they still hold on to a piece of southernmost Morrowind by the time of ''Skyrim''.

'''Note:''' ''Elder Scrolls'' lore is generally not clear-cut. Reasons for this range from [[UnreliableNarrator biased]] in-universe sources intentionally only giving you only one side of a story, to sources [[CriticalResearchFailure lacking critical information]] or working from [[BlatantLies false information]], to the implication that AllMythsAreTrue, despite the contradictions, or that at least all myths are MetaphoricallyTrue. [[WordOfGod Out-of-game developer supplemental texts]] (frequently referred to as "Obscure Texts" by the lore community) are more trustworthy, but are frequently left [[LooseCanon unofficial]] and sometimes later contradicted. Because of this, it is entirely possible for two contradictory statements in the below examples to ''both'' be true. (And due to frequent events in-universe that [[TimeCrash alter the timeline]], both may ''literally'' be true in-universe.)

* HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday?: Their mythology can't go for three sentences without reminding you that it's the mythology of a race of catfolk.