The Sentient Trees of Black Marsh

The Hist are probably the most secretive and hardest to understand race on Tamriel, not only because they appear very mundane to the untrained eye, but also because of their unfathomable knowledge and intelligence. Even though there are no reports of Hists communicating with other races than the Argonians, who are extremely defensive over the trees, they are instrumental in the history of Tamriel.

There are not many noteworthy biological traits of the Hist. Indeed, in almost all features they resemble standard trees, albeit very big ones. Even though an average Hist is about the size of an oak, there are examples of Hist being slightly shorter than the trees of Valenwood, albeit being more spread out. The largest Hist is in Lilmoth, Black Marsh, and is seen as the most important one, even though this is a pure mortal distinction, as all Hists are linked together via their roots, forming a hive mind. In short: all Hists are connected, and share the same mind. This also attributes to the incredible knowledge (even of previous Kalpas) the Hists have, as, even though one Hist is mortal, his knowledge and mind are not, as these are absorbed in the hive mind, and kept with all the other Hist. Furthermore, the Hist give off a special sap, which is incredibly important to the Argonians, as it is not only the only way for the Hist to comunnicate with any non-Hist, but it also what gives argonians their shape, form, sentience and soul. Pinpointing any features other than these is virtually impossible, as the sap of the Hist has strange shaping properties, making it possible for a Hist to shape itself into multiple shapes, and increasing its adaptability.

The origin of the Hist is unknown to us. What is known, is that the Hist had been around at the same time as the et’Ada, predating Mundus. Indeed, they were the first inhabitants of Nirn, even before the Ehlnofey. Along with Nirn, the Hists also had a realm of Oblivion of their own, the name lost to us, along with relatives of them (called the Um-Hist) inhabiting the realm of Clavicus Vile. During the Ehlnofey war, the realm of the Hist was mostly destroyed, the remains merging with Nirn and forming Black Marsh, despite their neutrality.

This neutrality is something common to the Hist. Because of their huge intelligence, the Hist are known to predict most major events on Tamriel, being able to adjust themselves and the Argonians to deal with the future threats. In this sense, neutrality is a very short sighted term, as the Hist will interfere in one way or the other, if they themselves are at risk. Even though the Hist are all linked, and share the same thoughts, it is not unheard of rogue Hists, who split themselves off of the hive mind. When this happens, the other Hist team up, and destroy the rogue Hist, one way or the other.

As stated earlier, the only thing we know of the origin of the Hists, is that they were already present when Mundus was not yet created, and that they were the first inhabitants of Nirn. their realm got destroyed during the Ehlnofey wars, despite their neutrality. It is safe to say that at almost all major events in Black Marsh, the Hist played one role or the other. During the Oblivion crisis, for instance, the Hist had already been calling back Argonians for years, to condition them for the impending dangers, making them better fighters, and more durable to the horrors of the Deadlands of Mehrunes Dagon. This was successful, and caused Dagon to order all gates in Black Marsh closed. This also further strengthened the position of the An-Xileel, a political party in Black Marsh which acted as the Hist’s lieutenants. With the support of the Hist, the An-Xileel ordered the secession of Black Marsh from the Empire, making it the first province to do so.

These strange trees of Black Marsh are indeed one of the more curious races of Tamriel, if not a force to reckon with. Their shape altering abilities are incredibly important to the Argonians, and, in turn, for the whole of Nirn. A basic understanding of these magnificent creatures is necessary to further understand the Argonians, with whom the next volume will deal.