The Elder Scrollssaga is one that explores the complex environment that is the planet of Nirn, with a focus on the continent of Tamriel, where all of the games take place. Tamriel is a continent with an incredibly long and varied history, and players are offered the chance with each game to delve ever deeper into the lore of the series. Much like its history, Tamriel is also quite a multifaceted continent in terms of geography; with deserts, marshes, forests, plains, arid badlands, mountain ranges covered in snow, islands, and volcanoes.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that inThe Elder Scrollsgames, the regions of Tamriel are diversified from one another when it comes to climate and landscape, but there is one region that stands out even for its flora and fauna. This specific region is Morrowind, which comprises a continental mainland and a huge island in the middle called Vvardenfell, which is separated from the mainland by the Sea of Ghosts: northern waters between Tamriel and Atmora, another continent of Nirn.
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Why Morrowind And Vvardenfell Have Different Species Than Tamriel
Thanks to its peculiar geographical and ecological conditions, Morrowind harbors species of creatures that are nowhere to be found in the rest of Tamriel. The high western mountains serve the purpose of isolating any indigenous creature that Morrowind was the home of from the rest of Tamriel. Not only that, butVvardenfell’s geologic, volcanic zonetwisted and changed the creature inhabiting the region through the evolution of the species. These lifeforms were forced to acquire evolutionary traits to help them survive in a harsh, ash-covered environment.
Life and death alternate in a never-ending cycle in Vvardenfell, with the Red Mountain erupting, lava flowing, and ash falling, causing woods and fungal grounds to perish and then to sprout again thanks to the volcanic soil being so fertile. The island features a mixture of multiple biomes, much like the continent of Tamriel itself, so it’s not uncommon to witness species affecting one another in strange ways.
This is also the reason why more common creatures are rarely seen in Morrowind, if at all, like chickens, horses, dogs, cats, and more. These animals would not thrive, let alone survive, in the ash-covered land that isthe region of Morrowindbecause they are non-native species that didn’t have a chance to adapt to this specific environment. Even the Daedra in Morrowind are different than those commonly found throughout the rest of Tamriel.
Insects Unique To Morrowind And Vvardenfell
Thanks to all of its unique ecological characteristics, Morrowind as a region is home to a myriad of differentcreatures that cannot be found elsewhere. An example is the Fetcherfly, a small insect-like creature with a dark body and some lava-colored parts, like a horn, the wings, the limbs, and the eyes. It isn’t a hostile creature by nature, but it will attack when in swarms, and its hive is often guarded by the Fetcherfly Hive Golem — an animated volcanic stone creature that can become the nest of the Fetcherflies, too. Then there is the Shroom Beetle: a species of crusted beetles that grow fungi on their back, which are often used in alchemical recipes.
Another creature that isnative to Vvardenfellis the Ash Hopper: This little critter resembles a grasshopper, but it is way larger and grey-colored, with red undertones as if its own hide evolved to mimic the slopes of the Red Mountain.
Another creature that is native to Morrowind is the Kwama: Insectoid in nature like the Ash Hopper and the Fetcherfly, the Kwama is a hierarchical species that can come as three different creatures, albeit with diverse evolutionary traits. There is the Kwama Scrib, which simply inhabits the egg mines (their burrows) of Morrowind, and it is the larval form of the species. The Kwama Workers usually try to guard the eggs and larvae by knocking foes to the ground. The Warriors are the most fearsome of the bunch, and they are almost humanoid, walking on two legs and attacking with their arms.
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Animals Native To Morrowind And Vvardenfell
Other creatures found in this region include the iconic Cliff Striders and Cliff Racers, which look very much like small pterodactyls and screech while flying over Vvardenfell and over Stonefalls. Akin to these two are the Cliff Darters, which are more bird-like in their appearance. Another dinosaur-like animal that is found in Morrowind is the Scuttler, a small reptilian not too dissimilar fromthe Alit, the Guar, and the Kagouti, which can both be found in Morrowind despite not living there exclusively. Then, there are the Vvardvark: two-legged armadillo-like animals with a long tongue, able to catch and eat bugs.
Morrowind is also home to the infamous Nix-Hounds, the Nix-Hound Prowlers, and the more docile Nix-Oxen. These are all arthropod animals, with the first two being canine in form and behavior. Still, one of the most famous and iconic animals in Morrowind is the Stilt Strider. In theoriginalMorrowindgame, they were introduced to be one of the main means of travel for players, with Dunmer caravanners navigating the creatures to the desired destination.
These beasts are enormous, reaching heights of 20 meters or more. As such, specific docks had to be constructed for Dunmers to use them as means of transport of people or goods. When young, the Stilt Striders are called Stilt Hoppers, and they are used as beasts of burden.
Daedra Found In Morrowind And Vvardenfell
Daedra are present throughout Tamriel, and they are entities from therealms of Oblivion. These unkillable entities don’t possess a link to the mortal plane of Nirn, and as such, they can only be banished from it. Oftentimes, the Daedra found in Morrowind and Vvardenfell are native to the land and bear little similarity with the ones found in the rest of Tamriel.
Among such creatures, there are the Iron Atronachs: these are like other atronachs, but they are made of molten metal and seem to be partially made of lava. They usually attack with lava or smash the ground with their mighty arms. Anotherrace of Daedraonly found in Morrowind is the Hunger. Hungers are very powerful, and they are typically found in the vicinity of Daedric ruins in Vvardenfell. They use their long tongues to siphon life force out of their victims, use their poisonous claws, or spit toxic bile on their prey.
The Elder Scrolls: Morrowindis available on PC and Xbox.
