From Seyda Neen. After checking out the map, I realize it may be longer as you said. But three months honestly seems a bit long, but not entirely unreasonable. So there is no definete answer on the possibility of a three week travel from Morrowind to Cyrodiil?

I can crunch the numbers if you like. Speed of a trireme, map scale, etc. I'll do it tomorrow, I suppose.

It all depends on what the map scale is supposed to be. If you go by the size of Cyrodiil and Morrowind in the games, then those two provinces together are only about 20 miles and change across, which would make Tamriel about 70 miles from end to end. Basically one day's travel by boat.

But I always pictured Tamriel as being much larger than how they portray it in the games. I like to imagine it is a real continent in size, like North America or Africa, so perhaps 3,000 miles across. The Atlantic is about 3,600 miles across from North America to Spain, and that took about 4 weeks to travel back in the Age of Sail. I would put the trip from Morrowind to Anvil at maybe a week longer due to having to sail around some of the continent, rather than going a straight line.

Short opinion: Three weeks is very possible in Buffy's world. Go for it!

Long opinion:

SubRosa is exactly correct in that 'It Depends'. There have been numerous discussions about this in the BethSoft Oblivion forums and the closer you get to working with game mechanics the more one comes up with small figures. I believe it was Pseron Wyrd that carefully calculated the 'cells' and such and came up a smallish figure like SubRosa mentioned. The beauty of the 'It Depends' answer is that it allows us to make reasonable assumptions to fit our view of Tamriel that can vary greatly to suit our purpose.

For what it's worth, my approach has been based on time scale rather than an elusive map scale. Although the default time scale is 1 hour of play = 30 hours of game day, that scale is completely adjustable using the command console. Those of us that adjust it, based on threads discussing the matter at BethSoft, seem to generally favor using a time scale of 10-12. I use a time scale of 12 and am very happy with it. Using that time scale, Buffy and Superian can make a leisurely trip, perhaps averaging 4 mph, from one of Cyrodiil's cities to the next within a nice sunup to sundown day trip. That lets us extrapolate some distances and come up with the Buffy Lore notes that we use for planning factors in our fiction when it comes to travel. Let me quote my notes from the travel planning section of the stylesheet we use for Buffy's fiction:


*

Land Travel. Land = 30-50 mi btwn cities, 7.5-12 hours travel at 4 mph. Note: Cyrodiil = 225 mi across at widest point. League = ~3 miles (English Medieval) or ~1.5 miles (Roman Empire).

Water Travel. It is about 300 miles from the IC to Anvil using the route traveled by ship. At about 6 mph, this equals 50 hours of sailing. Port stops at Bravil, Leyawiin, two stops in Elsweyr (Duncori Walk and Senchal), four ports in Valenwood (Haven, Southpoint, Greenheart, Woodhearth), one stop in Summeret Isle (Skywatch) at about 6 hours per stop add almost another 50 hours. This makes for roughly a four day trip IC-Anvil. IC-Leyawiin=20 hrs. The Imperial Trading Company operates six ships from the IC to Anvil: Nymph of the Niben, Mara’s Tear, The Black Swan, The Peony Princess (Buffy’s fave), The Dragon’s Tongue, and Barenziah’s Breeze. Rihad Trading Company runs ships from Anvil northward.

*

Now, your mileage may vary depending upon the assumptions, but in Buffy's world, the voyage you contemplate could be accomplished in two - three weeks. The key, again, is the assumptions you make and being consistent within your own reasoned view of Tamriel.

Good point about intermediate stops. Trading will make those take longer, as goods need to be loaded and unloaded, duties assessed and paid (with all the entries made in the ledgers by a clerk who's off sick today). And since they're sailing ships (can't get the slaves for rowing any more) you're at the mercy of the winds. If they're blowing the wrong way you have to tack, and blowing too hard means sheltering in a bay somewhere until it stops. Entering and leaving a harbor may require high tide; miss the tide and you have to wait half a day.

If it's someone important, who's paying for the whole thing, then you cut out the stops, and it's just down to weather. At the other extreme, you'll get diversions to every place there might be trade. A trip up the Niben and back would undoubtedly be added in if you're working your passage.

Go with whatever makes sense for the story.

Not of you are sailing on the Millennium Falcon!

Can it make the Sentinel Run in under twelve waypoints?

Hey, I know about that creation myth and stuff...But, as I like this sort of thing, has there ever been any proper astronomical detail come out about Nirn and the wider universe?...

Obviously there's the whole "Which Stars are you born under..."...

This is all as it was night time as I continued my walk along the Orange Road, so I looks up at the sky - which is always beautiful - and sure enough, Masser and Secundas...BUT...to their left was what is obviously another planet...Much like you see Jupiter/Saturn or Venus in the sky as a larger star in the night/evening/early morning...(Mars is obviously Red and I didn't see one of them in the game, but my next "Quest" is to head up into the mountains above Bruma to do some observing...)...

Just wondering if there was any Lore about all this...

And...Why the hell have I not seen that before?...

McB, I can't offer you much as far as answering your question is concerned, but I do have to thank you for inspiring me to create an astronomer character

The only real examples of astronomy in TES is the dwemer, so I guess we don't really know much. This is what uesp had:

Nirn has two moons, Masser and Secunda. The other astral bodies in the sky above Nirn are believed to actually be the spheres of the Aedra and Daedra, as seen from the mortal plane. The sun and stars are also punctures in the veil of Oblivion, through which the light of Aetherius shines into Mundus. One exception is the snake constellation, The Serpent, which 'wanders' about the sky. It is made up of "unstars".

From the UESPWiki:

The other astral bodies in the sky above Nirn are believed to actually be the spheres of the Aedra and Daedra, as seen from the mortal plane
Lore:Nirn

And then there's this little bit in support: Lore: Mundus

Fair dues...Ta...

So what this basically says is that the monomyth is just so much beautifully written backwards medieval superstition as ours was before Galileo managed to turn a telescope on the universe... ...Excellent...

So I wonder what it says about the giant stellar dust cloud that obscures what is obviously supposed to be the bight centre of the galaxy that bisects the sky at night...

I did the "Go up the mountain and just watch" thing...So beautiful...Amazing bit of programming...

Heh, all I know (aside from big moon / little moon) is that there is a tight cluster of three stars that Buffy uses to help navigate at night since they are always due north. North Stars if you will. - - Here you go, in the upper left sky.

If you want to be further confused, try and reconcile the Orrery in Oblivion with the night sky.

This is pretty much the extent of my lore knowledge too...

I've never seen the orrery... ...I'm not sure it's even on the PS3 one...

I've seen pics of it...So awesome...

That pic of the three stars and the moons...I'm guessing with the moons that the big one's Masser and the little, Secundus...I think the bright star at the bottom of the three is what made me wonder about the other planets...It looks like how Jupiter appears in the sky...

I can't get decent screenshots else I'd show you where I think they - well, at least two of them - are...

The other thing about your photo...When I look at the moons on my game they're separated by a fair degree...In yours, Secundus is about to precede Masser...I wonder if there really is an orbital mechanics mechanic in the game?... ...*Awed*... ...

I do think there is some sort of orbital mechanics in play regarding the moons. I'm not so sure about the stars, I don't think the Three Sisters (or the Three Bears, depending on whom you talk to) that Acadian refers to move much across the sky - they might be close to the pivot point like our own Polaris is, and all the other stars rotate about it. Wouldn't it be sooooo cool if that were the case??

Makes sense if they are the pole stars™...They are northern stars, for defo... ...Blimey, Robert/Tharryn may have to do some skywatching...

*Grabs binoculars*... ...

Random lore tidbit for The Elder Scrolls I found in an old archived post. I'm posting it here because it explains so succinctly how the people of Nirn view their gods. I doubt I'll ever see a clearer explanation.

The Eight and One, more commonly known as the Nine Divines is the 'official' religion of the Septim Empire, but each race has their own set of beliefs. The Altmer believe Nirn is a prison and it must be destoryed to ascend back to their pre-nirn existance, the Red Guards believe Nirn is a testing ground and they must learn to Walk to find their way to the Far Shores to become immortal, the Dunmer believe in Ancestor worship and that Nirn is also a testing ground, the Nords the same in that Nirn is testing ground for warriors to make it to Sovengrad, im more hazy on the beast race religions though,


The Nine Divines are a combination of Elven beliefs and human practices. There are also various beliefs unique to every race, along with a cult for every Daedra lord scattered throughout Tamriel.

One of the most intriguing creation myth stories I’ve found is the Goblin Creation Myth posted by Merari to the old Bethesda forums in 2012. It is an account of a goblin shaman telling the goblin creation myth to his young students.

According to the story the Goblins lived in a cave where the cave represents the Aetherius, or at least the goblin's understanding of it. One goblin suggests going outside by saying he’s been outside the cave and it is real nice. Once outside the goblins find a new unspoiled unpopulated world for them to explore.