Studies of a Stranded Scholar

I like Akavir. I don't know how many texts have been made about them, but I decided to write something about them. Up first, the Tsaesci.

I don't know how many years I've been here. I don't know if anyone will ever read this. But I'm writing it anyway. Survival be damned, I've got species to study!

Day 409 - They still don't suspect a thing.

Thanks to my cleverness I've been able to study the Tsaesci - pronounced say-see - up close. I am disguised as a pilgrim, dressed in a concealing garb made of jungle vines, raphia leaves and dried snake skin. To them, I'm just another pilgrim visiting Mount Cheam, but I have in fact been studying them for over a year now, and every day has been more intriguing than the last. If I ever get back to Tamriel, I expect this detailed analysis to receive the greatest of commemorations from the Emperor himself! Now...

In appearance, there are two primary forms of Tsaesci: Snake-folk and man-folk. The snake-folk have humanoid upper bodies and serpentine lower bodies, and are descendend from the first Tsaesci that lived on Akavir millennia ago. Today, they are a minority, but aren't discriminated, and live in special care homes. The men-folk are the result of snake-folk interbreeding with either the Men of Akavir or Men of Tamriel. Why any man would want to mate with a half-person, half-snake being is beyond me, though me and many others have noted that Tsaesci females are very beautiful. Another theory of mine, that make a bit more sense, is that the Tsaesci enslaved the Men of Akavir and non-consensually mated with them to create some form of superior or subservient species to serve the snake-folk. Either way, snake-folk are today considered an important aspect of Tsaesci cultured and highly revered by the man-folk. Most figures of important are snake-folk.

The interesting thing about the Tsaesci nation is their apparent lack of any recognizable form of government. From what I understand, the Tsaesci operate on a strange combination of anarchist and spiritual principles. Each city is largely independent, and the Chief Shamans act as figureheads/representatives during important gatherings. Other than that, each Tsaesci pulls their own weight in order to make their city work. If one Tsaesci decides to take too much time off their duty, they may become imprisoned, or even marked - I explain this further down.

I've mostly spent my time in one of the larger cities; I believe it is called Moul Sathon. Moul Sathon is seperated into three distinct districts, shaped like three rings interlocking in the center - where the temple is located. The exterior walls are massive constructions, seemingly capable of withstanding a siege for years. The Tsaesci have tunnels that spread into the surrounding wilderness, and their entrances can apparently only be detected by the Tsaesci and their keen senses. I haven't been to other cities that much, but from what I gather they are constructed largely the same.

When a Tsaesci is marked, they become the source of which other Tsaesci feed on. Most of the marked are criminals, degenerates or slaves from any of the other races. One Tsaesci has enough blood to feed ten families for a year. A Tsaesci only needs to drink blood once a week to regain their strength. Several marked are selected to participate in the annual Blood Ritual. Their bodies are carved open, with all their blood spilled into flumes that run around the city, from which every Tsaesci then drinks. It is an abhorring ritual, but I've been forced to participate to keep my cover. The blood tastes strangely like chicken. If for some reason there are no more criminals to feed on, Tsaesci city-states have on occasion attacked other city-states and enslaved a portion of their population.

Not all Tsaesci live in cities. There are nomad Tsaesci that roam the rainforests of southern Akavir, and are considered outcasts by city-dwellers. Although normally out of contact with city-dwellers, they occasionally come to trade with them, but aren't allowed inside city limits. These Tsaesci have adapted to live off of nature's blood, rather than Tsaesci blood.

During wartime, such as when Uriel V's armies invaded Akavir, the Tsaesci city-states organize into a proper armed force. While normally disorganized and anarchist, the Tsaesci unite under whichever warrior seems to have the most sense of the situation. One Tsaesci that's used to dealing with the Ka Po'Tun may not know how to deal with the Septim Empire, for example, meaning each commander is trained to lead the fight against one specific enemy. As Tamrielic warriors might have noticed in the past, Tsaesci don't fight with shields - they apparently consider them a coward's tool, as one who wishes to protect from an opponent's blow is not a proper warrior. Instead, Tsaesci warriors train incredibly hard to become expert martial artists, capable of avoiding almost any strike their enemies try to make.

Tsaesci religion is primarily built around worshipping a mountain; Mount Cheam - of which I am a disguised pilgrim. From what I can gather, thousands of years ago during the Dawn Era, two great dragons fought atop this mountain, their epic duel lasting generations. Eventually, the two tired each other out, and crash-landed on the top of the mountain. Rivers of blood, or blood-colored liquids, drain from the peak, where the dragons' massive carcasses apparently rest. I know not if this is true, as pilgrims are forbidden from venturing all the way to the top (pilgrims simply drink the blood that flows from it). Only the Chief Shamans are allowed to venture to the top, and they keep all their information to themselves. It seems religious priests don't change no matter where you are.

I have also noticed something peculiar while I've spent my time here: On Tamriel, I noted Secunda orbits clockwise around Masser, but here it rotates counter-clockwise. Could this mean I am on the other side of the moons? Is Akavir that far away? Or maybe I am just going mad after months of isolation? It is hard to tell.

As a final note, when the Tsaesci are at war with the Ka Po'Tun - which is almost always - the swamps of their mighty nation seems to rise, all by itself, bogging down the tiger-folk armies, as if it was sentient and protecting the Tsaesci. Most fascinating. I will continue my study of Akavir, by traveling to the Ka Po'Tun nation, and continue my studies.

Thank you for reading. If I may ask, has there been any out-of-game texts about Akavir, because I found one titled "Definitive Akavir", but all the links to it are broken.