The Handbook
The peoples of Tamriel
Culture, faith and place of origin shape how a character sees the world. This is the Lore Team's guide to every people of Tamriel, Nords to Khajiit: a starting point for a character, not a cage around one.
How to read this
Knowing these nuances helps you build a character, but it matters more for everyone around you: immersion and roleplay go hand in hand when the people in a scene share a world.
None of this is an exhaustive racial guide, and no character has to conform to every tradition below. People are individuals and the lore is full of exceptions.
A deviation needs a reason
If your character breaks from the traditions of their people, that break is part of the character. Ask why they think differently, where they were raised, who influenced them, and what happened to them.
The Lore Team researched and compiled every section here so that lore supports creativity rather than restricting it. The guide grows in the #tamriel-pocket-guide forum on our Discord, and this page follows it. The portraits are Skyrim's own loading screens.