Lesser-Known Peoples of Tamriel VI: The Men-of-Enq

Sailing down the ancient Niben, a traveller might witness all the glories of modern Nibenese culture intermingled with its vivid past. But to gain a true insight into the forgotten past of this people, one must come aground on the left bank and travel overland, crossing the vague border into Black Marsh. Argonian presence near to the Cyrodiilic border is limited and inconstant, and there are is a tribe of men here who claim to have resided in the jungle since before the time of Alessia. These are the men-of-enq, and to visit them is to step into the vanished past of mankind.

The men-of-enq are visibly of the same stock as their Nibenese neighbours. One could pass for the other if properly attired. It seems likely that they are descended from escaped slaves during the terrible reign of the Ayleids, but they claim to have never been part of that empire- indeed they hint at secret tribal treaties with the Wild Elf clans that also haunt these woods. Either way, their language can be deciphered by any scholar with a knowledge of First-Era Nibenese. The only thing that truly marks them out from other Nedic peoples of record is their complete lack of metalworking.

The men-of-enq live in a tribal village built around a longhouse whose name translates as the Hall of Eyes. They have no agriculture, hunting game in the forest and foraging for fruit and mushrooms that grow abundantly in the area. Their favourite dish is a sinuous lizard with iridescent blue feathers, which they associate with their god Zunna. They also keep these creatures as pets. The men-of-enq are led by a matriarch, called the Deep Witch. She is the oldest woman of the tribe and has many husbands and wives. Aside from Zunna and Shor, who are portrayed as male and female respectively, the men-of-enq also worship the stars, and each member of the community has one star in particular associated with them alone. They wear few clothes, instead daubing themselves with vividly pigmented body paints which glow eerily in the dark.

Although they lack metal of any kind the Nedes of the forest have a thriving industry which makes them valuable trading partners. They produce intricate jewellery from yellow jade, which is much sought-after by Nibenese merchants. However they are most famous for producing rubber, which they make from trees using a closely guarded technique. This substance is flexible and waterproof, and can be made into any shape. Some is tithed to the Emperor, some is sold, and much is kept for their own purposes.

The men-of-enq also create polished lightweight armour from native wood, which is finely segmented and fitted together with rubber at the seams. While not particularly durable against steel blades, this armour is all-encompassing and completely waterproof. This allows them to engage in their most enigmatic pastime- descending into the dark waters of the Argonian swamp encased in armour, with a rubber hose leading back to the surface. Thus equipped they can remain submerged for hours. The warriors of the village regularly lead sorties into the brackish depths, carrying sharp jade weapons. The target of these ‘raids’ is unclear, but after hours have passed they re-emerge, weapons shattered, some of their number dead and abandoned to the swamp. They bring no spoils of war and refuse to discuss what has transpired. When I pressed some of them on the matter, they laughed, gave me a beautiful jade amulet shaped like a human brain, and told me to ask “the man-witch who commands [my] tribe”, and to remember that “the men-of-enq keep to their bargains, even when others have forgotten”.