One of the most alluring factors about The Elder Scrolls franchise is the deep well of worldbuilding and lore available to players. Like any worthwhile fantasy world, the continent of Tamriel that has been the setting of every The Elder Scrolls title is split up into diverse individual provinces.
This has provided an excellent vehicle for The Elder Scrolls settings over the years, with many mainline games exploring a specific province. While fans are largely familiar with the likes of Morrowind and Skyrim thanks to their respective mainline titles, there are many provinces of Tamriel that remain relatively unexplored and without identity to the average fan. One such province is Valenwood, nestled in the south of Tamriel.
Valenwood and Its Inhabitants
Valenwood is a swampy, densely vegetated forest area with an abundance of unique flora and fauna. It also sports a sprawling coastline on the cusp of the Abecean Sea. Valenwood is home to distanced enclaves of fantastical tribes and societies who live symbiotically with the land's sacred vegetation and wildlife. While Valenwood has appeared in The Elder Scrolls Online, fans still have less immediate knowledge than what comes with a province as the setting of a mainline title.
Luckily, fans can learn about Valenwood's lore in other Elder Scrolls titles via in-game books highlighting aspects of Valenwood culture and history. Perhaps the most useful book series exploring the multi-faceted society of Valenwood can be found in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim: "A Dance In Fire."
One of the most crucial elements of Valenwood is undoubtedly its native species, with A Dance in Fire describing them in detail. The Bosmer are the primary race native to Valenwood, being a nimble and resourceful species who are small in stature. Also known as Wood Elves, the Bosmer have a deep connection with their forested homeland, often decorating themselves to blend in.
Due to their increased agility and an aptitude for camouflage, the Bosmer are known to excel at thievery. Additionally, the Bosmer favor bows in combat due to the abundance of resources readily available. Literally meaning "people of the forest," the Bosmer lack connotations of nobility that other races of elves within The Elder Scrolls posses, however they do share the elegance and long lifespans of fellow elves.
Walking Tree Cities
One fascinating aspect of Valenwood introduced in the second book of A Dance in Fire is the sprawling, mobile cities Valenwood is known for. The first city the books introduce is Falinesti, which exists on the massive branches of a graht-oak tree. The moving cities are a magnificent spectacle to behold, with A Dance in Fire describing them as "a mile tall and half as wide."
The cities migrate across Valenwood depending on the season, with Falinesti traditionally traveling to four separate sites throughout the year, with the migration being a source of festival and celebration for Falinesti's inhabitants. Traversing the city is made possible by a series of organic pullies, lifts, and ferries across the city, with Falinesti being the capital of Valenwood's eight major settlements.
The Five Year War
More Valenwood lore can be gleaned from A Dance in Fire, such as references to the Five Year War and its effects on Valenwood. The Five Year was a conflict between Valenwood and its neighboring province of Elsweyr, one of the many wars waged throughout The Elder Scrolls.
Elsweyr is the tropical homeland of the Khajiit, and the war started over Khajiit attacks on Bosmer caravans. This escalated to full-scale bloody conflicts that eventually saw the Bosmer try and take the Elsweyr captial of Torval. Despite this, Elsweyr is often deemed the winner of the conflict, suffering significantly fewer casualties compared to their Wood Elf neighbors. As a result, Valenwood's infrastructure was seriously impacted following the war.
The Wilderking
An element of Valenwood lore that emphasizes magical elements of its culture is the ethereal Wilderking. The Wilderking is one of many ancient gods of The Elder Scrolls, having complete control over nature. Residing in the Greenshade region of Valenwood, many tribespeople outside the urban populations of Valenwood worship the Wilderking as opposed to the Bosmor Camoran King.
The Wilderking plays a political role within Valenwood as well as a deeply religious one. The Wilderking is manifested into physical form by absorbing the form of a mortal, who will find themselves fate-bound to happen upon the Wilderking's domain. Those mortals will inevitably fulfilling their new-found destiny, sacrificing themselves and their memories to become the physical vessel of The Elder Scrolls' Wilderking.