Akavir Explained: Tsaesci

The continent is most commonly known for the serpentine creatures that 'ate' dragons, the Tsaeci. They have invaded the continent of Tamriel several times before, the most notable occurred in the year 2703 of the First Era, as a group of relentless dragon hunters. It's unclear whether this was a group of humans as well as serpents, but it could very well be both. The invading armies were defeated by the Dragonborn Emperor, and they swore allegiance to him. This brought rise to Tsaesci advisors the the Empire, and would ultimately be its downfall. They invaded once more prior to the Three Bannered War. Nobody is entirely sure why they attacked Tamriel this time, but some scholars have hypothesized that perhaps the lack of a Dragonborn on the Ruby Throne affected even the distant continent of Akavir.

This theory may hold more water than originally thought, as a Tsaesci named Versidue Shaie had claimed the Ruby Throne and ruled for three hundred years, nearly four hundred years prior to the Three Bannered War. He was personally responsible for the fall of the Reman dynasty and ending the First Era. He was assassinated by the Morag Tong in 2E 324, and his son and all relatives were assassinated in 2E 430, ending the reign of Tsaesci Potentates. This brought about the Interregnum, a period of darkness and dismay with the Second Empire collapsing.

The serpents possess a power not dissimilar to that of a Dragonborn, only they absorb the creature itself, taking into themselves their physical attributes and strength. Absorbing dragons has been accredited to their lizardlike appearance and absurdly long lifespans. Because of this strange attribute, it has been extremely difficult to reach a consensus of their appearance.

According to some sources, they 'ate' the Akaviri humans, which could account for some sources claiming they have the upper body of a human. However, this also could be taken more literally, and they used them for a food source.

Their nation has been home to many races. Dragons, man, serpents, and goblins. There was a war between the mortals and dragons, where the Red Dragons were defeated in Tsaesci(the nation), and the Black Dragons fled to Po Tun, which would spark the desire of the Ka' Po Tun, or "Cat-Folk", to become a dragon. This idea would eventually be realized by Tosh Raka, the Dragon Cat that is waging war on the Tsaesci now.