Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before stepping into Mereth.
Character Skills
Mereth uses an in-depth skill system that allows players to focus on specific roles. You will not be a master of everything — and that’s the point. Every blacksmith, soldier, cook, and healer brings something distinct to the table.
When you create a new character, you are given 18 memory points to allocate. Skills are not levels you grind toward — they are caps you set during character creation. The rank you choose represents the highest level your character can ever reach in that skill. Choose carefully; these choices define who your character is.
You can allocate your skills in either the starting room or at any temple in the province.
Each rank costs memory points from your starting pool of 18:
- Novice — 1 point
- Adept — 2 points
- Apprentice — 3 points
- Expert — 5 points
- Master — 8 points
18 points does not go far when Master alone costs 8. Plan your build before you sit down to allocate.
Civilians should not be able to pick up a sword and immediately fight like a warrior. If you have no points in a weapon skill, you cannot deal damage with that weapon. This keeps civilians as civilians, encourages players to commit to dedicated weapon styles, and makes specialists actually feel like specialists.
Crafting is broken into multiple distinct skills rather than one umbrella stat. A blacksmith may have skills in any combination of Weapon Smithing, Armor Smithing, Carpentry, and Leatherworking. Craftsmen will have varying levels of ability, and finding the best leatherworker or swordsmith in the Hold becomes its own quest.
Yes. At the end of every month you may submit clips of your character learning skills in RP via ticket to earn a new memory point to allocate.
Becoming a Jarl
The Jarl role is one of the most demanding positions on the server. The rules below apply to every aspiring ruler in Mereth.
You must pass the whitelist posted in our Discord. Requirements:
- A minimum of 10 pages of written submission
- No AI usage of any kind
- A voice interview with staff
The role demands depth, dedication, and a voice you can actually hold a court with.
No. Jarls in Mereth are limited to Nords only. We are roleplaying in the province of Skyrim, and immersion is our methodology. The Jarls of Skyrim are Nords — full stop.
Short answer: yes. Long answer: no.
By seizing a Hold you bypass the sacred tradition of a Moot. You will be regarded as an Usurper by all other Jarls, they will eventually move to retake the Hold, and when that day comes your character will be executed. You may sit the throne for a time. You will not keep it.
The court convenes a Moot. All thanes, sword-thanes, shield-thanes, and court members select the next leader from among their own ranks. The vote must be unanimous. If the court is divided, the Moot continues until consensus is reached. There is no shortcut, no majority rule, no tiebreaker.
You cannot challenge a Jarl for the throne itself. You can challenge a Jarl to an honor duel with a relevant and meaningful roleplay reason — “I want control” is not valid. Most Nords will accept on honor alone, but acceptance is not guaranteed. Defeating a Jarl in a duel does not make you the next Jarl; a Moot must still be held.
Lore of Mereth
Mereth takes place in 4E 185, ten years after the Great War between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion. This is an alternate timeline from TES V: Skyrim — named characters from the post-war period are removed and replaced with you, the players.
Magic as it exists in TES is not different in Mereth, but we strive to return Nordic aesthetics to the Fatherland. Clevercraft is the ancestral magic tradition of Skyrim’s people, so wherever you see magic and Nords together the atmosphere should be predominantly shamanistic or druidic.
No. While you may see similar names (especially clans), we do not allow copy-paste characters from TES games or lore. You can, however, endeavor to recreate similar events and fill that role in Mereth’s own timeline.
Magic in Mereth
Magic in Mereth is a roleplay-driven system. The rules below apply to every aspiring spellcaster on the server.
Magic must be taught by a Master in a given specialization. Two things are required: a Master Mage or Wizard willing to teach you, and a spellbook for the spell you wish to learn. No master, no book — no magic.
To attend the College of Winterhold you must already know at least one spell. The most common path is through a Hold’s Court Wizard, who runs aspiring mages through a three-week apprenticeship before sending them off with their first spellbook.
The College offers three semesters of formal instruction: Novice, Apprentice, and Adept, scaling in price per semester. To advance past Adept, you must stay on at the College as a researcher or professor’s assistant.
- The College of Winterhold — effectively unlimited library access for students
- Court Wizards — a limited starting selection
- The East Empire Company — spellbooks available for purchase
- Adventuring — spellbooks placed randomly in dungeons on a bi-monthly cycle
Magical organizations may exist in Mereth, but the number is limited and they do not have access to spellbooks by default. The head of an organization may be a Master Wizard and is permitted to teach apprentices, but acquiring spellbooks must happen entirely through roleplay — East Empire purchases, dungeon expeditions, trades, etc.
The vast majority of spells are utility-focused — Magelight, Candlelight, Detect Life, Detect Dead, and the like. Every School of Magic is being completely redone with a focus on roleplay-friendly spells rather than raw combat utility. Expect tools, not just weapons.
Priests of the temples have access to Master Restoration. They are authorized to teach disciples and serve as Mereth’s doctors. If you need healing, find a temple or a faction like the Vigilants of Stendarr.
You can have a mage background in your character’s history, but you must use /mes to demonstrate magic in roleplay. Actual in-game spell mechanics require roleplaying your way to them. New players do not start with magic — no exceptions.
Each Hold has its own magical laws. What’s permitted in Winterhold is not necessarily permitted in Markarth, Windhelm, or Solitude. Always be aware of which spells are legal, whether the Hold requires a license to teach magic, and any local restrictions on schools like Conjuration, Destruction, or Illusion. Ignorance of the law is not a defense in any Jarl’s court.