Hello! Welcome to the 3rd part of the Elder Scrolls lore series! Today I'll be covering the province that's hardest to survive in and it's people: Black Marsh and the Argonians! [b]Argonians and the Hist Tree:[/b] Argonians are the humanoid inhabitants of Black Marsh, or the Argonian way of saying it, Argonia. Due to them living in those harsh conditions for so many years has made them adapt to their surroundings, with a natural resistance to disease and because they're amphibious allows them to breathe under water! They have also had to become crafty, with a +10 Lockpick, sneak, and pickpocket. They also have +10 in Illusion and Alteration. But I'm not here to discuss game mechanics, let's get back to the roots (pun intended, you'll see why)! Argonians praise a tree natural to Argonia, called the Hist Tree. It is said that the tree is sentient. The Hist Tree is said to be all knowing, and could sense the dangers approaching when Mehrunes Dagon tried his hand in Tamriel. When his Gates to Oblivion opened, instead of the Daedra flowing fourth, it was the Argonians who had charged into Oblivion. The Hist is also how Argonians find their partners. I should mention that in order to gain these visions they must drink from the Hist Sap. Argonians are the only ones who can stand the Hist Sap and not go berserk. Some scholars think the Hist is also a conduit. A conduit of what? A way of communing with the one they praise more than the Hist: Sithis. As you may know, the Dark Brotherhood is a cult of Sithis worshippers. In Argonian religion, Argonians born under the constellation called "Shadow" are either given or taken from the parents so they could become Brotherhood Shadowscales. Shadowscales are trained in assassinations and stealth, and if they've proven their worth will be accepted fully into the Dark Brotherhood. The lizard-men of Argonia have a sour feel towards the Dunmer of Morrowind. The Dark Elf Houses have been using Argonians as slaves because of their natural resistances. Eventually they'd be in an alliance with them, when the Dunmer, Nords, and Argonians made the best pact ever you can't fight it, the Ebonheart Pact. Once those times of Molag Bal ended the Argonians saw opportunity to strike, now that the Dunmer were weaker. Onto where the live! (If I missed info let me know) [b]Towns and Cities:[/b] [i]Thorn[/i] A word that'll make a Destiny veteran shutter, Thorn is located to the northeast of Argonia. Called the "Jewel of the East" by some, it's actually a town now inhabited by the Dark Elves. Same with the other towns along the east coast. Which brings me to my next point of interest. [i]Archon[/i] If you've been paying attention you'd know that Archon is also a Dunmeri settlement. Before Thorn and Archon were Dunmeri, though, they belonged to the Alyeids of the White-gold tower in Cyrodiil. The next towns were also Alyeid; Gideon and Stormhold. [i]Gideon[/i] Since the Ayleids "leave" the town of Gideon has been reinforced by the Imperial Legion. It acts as an Imperial outpost on Black Marsh, as Tiber Septim (Talos) made the wise move of not pushing into Argonia during his conquest. [i]Stormhold[/i] Stormhold went from Ayleid to Dunmeri to (maybe) Imperial. The marks of rich arrogance can still be seen in the stone carvings on the pillars. A plague that ended the Lilmothiiti Khajit originated from this town. [i]Lilmothiit[/i] During the earliest days of Tamriel a tribe of Khajiti people, called the vulpine Lilmothiit, made the town of Lilmothiit, and from its ruins rose (see what I did there?) Blackrose. [i]Blackrose[/i] Has The best secured Imperial Prison to date. It's been ruined for millennia. Other than that I couldn't find more info. :/ (Have info? Let me know!) [i]Helstrom[/i] Helstrom is the Capitol of Argonia. It is the most impregnable town the Argonians have, it's a place where the enemy of the Argonians wouldn't dare follow them. [b]History[/b] Now here is where it gets long... The early Altmeri explorers (a guy named Topol the Pilot) knew that it would not be pleasant living there. We know this because of Topol: "fetid, evil swamp lands and their human lizards." Though the living conditions were so harsh people, man and mer, would settle here. Some of mans' tribes were called Kothringi, Orma, Yespest, and Horwalli. Some early mer tribes, such as the Barsaebic Ayleids and the Cantemiric Velothi, also found refuge here. Even the Khajiti Lilmothiit tribe settled in the south. Gideon and Stormhold weren't attacked when the Alessian Empire took control of the White-gold tower, as they were in Argonia. No one knows where the Argonians came from, although we know they fair from Argonia (duh). Some of the animals spoke of the Argonians; from monsters of the swamp to heroes of the people. The Argonians, during the Mythic/First Era rarely left Black Marsh. When asked about their homeland they offered little to no information. Only that the Argonians liked to be called one culture, even though they lived in different tribes. Throughout the first Era a group of thugs and thieves had been very successful. There land held riches, and if you wanted the disappear you could. Along the eastern side of Topal Bay had been gaining notoriety though its thievery. In 1E 1033 Empress Hestra wanted "Red" Bramman, the gang leader, dead. The Imperial Navy lost many battles with the bandit King. Later they found out his means of escaping: a slim river that cuts through Argonia near a settlement called Soulrest. The fleet chased him down, and in the end Bramman's head lay off of his body. Though he was dead, the Empire had acquired something better: Argonian Culture knowledge. Little did they realize that they had chased him further then anybody who wasn't an Argonian. The Inland Argonians were a little worried, as Bramman and other crews were the only human contact they'd known so far. The Imperials coming into their land was violation, in other words. The further the navy went the more they encountered heavier resistance. Once they dealt with the pirate scum they decided to leave Argonia to its natives. Black Marsh was free from judgement until the Second Empire (Alessian). The Battle of Argonia had begun in 1E 2811, where the Alessians won and the reptilians fled to Helstrom, a fortress of trees. The following year the Cyrodilic Empire had "conquered" Argonia. Around the coast and in some inland parts had gained Imperial Leaders. Black Narsh quickly became the place where criminals too crazy for normal prisons were sent. The most famous prison, the Rose, was built in the ruins of Blackrose. Even though it was the prison province crime still riddled about. Dunmeri Slavers had more freedom then ever, and would even drag whole tribes of Argonians at a time! During this time, at Stormhold, the horrid Khahaten Flu spread to each corner of Black Marsh, killing all unreptilian in nature. It's unknown whether it was natural or Argonian attempt at revenge. The fear of catching a Flu like that made most steer clear of Argonia. House Dres still sent slavers to abduct the natives for work, but other then that no one bothered with the Argonians. Even Talos, Ruler of the Third Empire, wanted to step foot towards inland Black Marsh. To this day Argonia still acts as a prison house. The Empire has needed it's coast for strategic reasons. The Imperial Leaders have now attracted Argonian Advisors. Rumors of groups like the Argonian "Naga" smuggling hardcore drugs through the border flutter around. Crime has actually decreased, if only slightly. The Empire abolished slavery, hence Argonia and Morrowind's improving status. Some convicts escaped the Rose, but are believed to not last long in the swamps. The weak points have been mended to. That's it! You made it! If you liked this, give this post and the couple of hours I put into this up vote! Sources:[spoiler]imperial-library.info[/spoiler]