General:Ask Us Anything: Daggerfall Covenant (Part 1)

Originally published January 7, 2013. The original article can be found here.

We're picking up right where we left off last year, and continuing our bi-weekly "Ask Us Anything" question-and-answer series with a new installment all about the Daggerfall Covenant. Read on to learn more about the cultures that make up the Daggerfall Covenant, their history and motives, and some of the areas you can expect to visit as a member of the Covenant.

As always, the "Ask Us Anything" series is fueled by your great questions, so we're always on the lookout for more. If you have a question about the Daggerfall Covenant that we didn't cover this time, feel free to send it to us at community@elderscrollsonline!

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What is the significance of a lion adorning the crests of both the Bretons and the Daggerfall Covenant as a whole? – By Gallagher Clausner

When the Breton Lion Guard became High King Emeric's elite knightly order, he adopted the lion as his personal crest, and thereafter it became the martial symbol of the Daggerfall Covenant.

At the time the game takes place, how long have the Redguards been in Tamriel? Are they regarded as something of a newcomer race? – By Emmy Mariner

The Ra Gada that brought the Yokudans to Tamriel began around 1E 800, approximately 2,700 years before ESO – so only the Elves are likely to still regard the Redguards as newcomers.

Based on known lore and from previous Elder Scroll titles, the Orcs traditionally seem to keep to themselves and too their strongholds, with the odd exception. What is the motivation for the Orcs and the Orsinium Kingdom in joining the Daggerfall Covenant? What connects these three races of unlikely allies to band together as they have? – By Wade Johnson

As a race, the Orcs have what we would call an inferiority complex. They've been kicked around Tamriel and looked down upon by the other races since the beginning of time, and they crave respect. It was a big deal for the Orcs when, in relatively recent history, Orsinium was finally admitted into the Second Empire as a full province. The clans that have joined the Daggerfall Covenant remember that period of recognition, and seek to revive it. The Bretons promised the Orcs could revive Orsinium unmolested, and that once the Covenant re-established the Empire, Orsinium would once again be an Imperial province.

How are the Breton and Redguard peoples reacting to the alliance with the Orcs? They are historical enemies, the Redguards and Bretons destroyed Orsinium several times, the alliance may be formed purely out of necessity, but surely the people would be unhappy about the alliance. – By Aron Grafhorst

It's definitely an alliance of convenience, much as when the Nords and Orcs marched to the aid of the Dwarves at the Battle of Red Mountain. Individual Bretons and Redguards may not be happy about it, but the residents of their border towns say it's better to have the Orcs marching against their enemies than raiding their flocks and their farms. The Redguards and Orcs have always respected each other as honorable opponents – and while the Orcs may not trust the Bretons, as a general thing, they do trust King Emeric, who's proven reliable. And serving side-by-side is building trust between the races.

I wonder how you will make the Alik'r Desert come alive. In so many MMOs the deserts are neglected and just full of sand and rocky hills with little to no vegetation, snakes, scorpions and buzzards. Which usually leads to being totally bored in desert zones. How do you plan on making them interesting? – By Lori Brock

The Alik'r Desert has a vibrant ecology, from small critters like lizards up to apex predators such as dunerippers and giant scorpions. And nearly everything in it is either venomous or carnivorous. You won't be bored – because if you let your guard down, you'll be dead.

I have a question regarding the region of Hammerfell. It's been understood that Sentinel, a city of Forebear influence, would be a center of Covenant control in Hammerfell. As a personal fan of the Crowns, I was wondering if we would be visiting a city of Crown nature, such as Hegathe, in Elder Scrolls: Online. – By Jack Waldmann

We won't be getting as far south as Hegathe until sometime after launch, but you'll definitely be seeing Crown-dominated towns such as Bergama and Lainlyn in the northern reaches of the Alik'r.

Will the religious differences within the three races, particularly those of the Orcs and Redguards, be emphasized? Will there be Daedra-worshipping cults? – By Emmy Mariner

Political alliances and enmities can either mitigate or exaggerate religious differences. The leaders of the Covenant are eager to suppress religious conflicts between Bretons, Redguards, and Orcs in the interest of solidarity. And Orcish leaders, such as King Kurog, emphasize that the Orcs of Orsinium worship Mauloch, who absolutely isn't a Daedric Prince at all, honest. It's those other Orcs who worship the Daedra Lord Malacath.

The city of Camlorn seems to have occasional werewolf problems, with accounts of them being detailed in the early previews, as well as in the Wolf Queen books. Are these part of a greater epidemic? – By Confusion

Camlorn's legacy of lycanthropy definitely plays out in the events of ESO!

How long ago was it that the High Elves were pushed back out of Hammerfell and High Rock? Are there any lingering effects of the invasion still felt during ESO? – By Chris Acciardi

The Direnni Hegemony, in which High Elves ruled most of what is now the Daggerfall Covenant, was in decline by 1E 500, so it's a good 3,000 years since the Bretons began home rule in High Rock. When the Redguards arrived in Hammerfell a few centuries later, Clan Direnni had already retreated to Balfiera Island in the Iliac Bay, where they still reside.