Postcards from Tamriel, Stories and such that fall somewhere between a snippet and a thread Options

[Grits]

Hi folks!

My characters are getting unruly, so I thought I’d make a place where I can hide from them while they fight it out. I mean, while I figure out what to do. The first time this happened, I posted Home for the Holidays, a very short story about Abiene’s Saturalia visit to Leyawiin in the year 3E432. I should have made this thread then, but at the time I still thought that every word I wrote would be the last. Someday I hope to make an offering at The Temple of Lore, but for now I’m still too guilty of undisciplined sprawling. I’ll start a story in the next post.

As always, comments and discussion are very welcome!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 23 2019, 03:31 AM

[Grits]

.

Appendix Two: Terms and Expressions

In Which Grits Slaughters the Languages of Tamriel

First, a note about languages: Since TEV 4 Oblivion takes place in Cyrodiil which is the seat of the Empire, I’ve made the assumption that everyone is speaking Tamrielic unless otherwise remarked upon in the text. That means that everyone’s English words are meant to be Tamrielic, just translated into English. So words and phrases (made-up and otherwise) in languages other than Tamrielic are written in italics, since they are a different language from the rest of the text.

Where I couldn’t find clues in lore, I have completely guessed about how Tamriel’s languages are supposed to sound. If anything is an actual naughty word in some language, oops. Also, I just added things here as the characters described them, so some weirdness will occur. For example when Lildereth described Valenwood’s silverbark trees, she did not give their name in Bosmeris. So the silverbark tree appears as a Tamrielic term, even though the trees are native to Valenwood. As always, comments and discussion are welcome.



Bosmeris

Duwoh el E: Early spring, the second of five seasons; the time of empty bellies.

Furibari: Evil spirits.

Gin-jiru: Silverbark tree, a gigantic tree native to Valenwood. Capable of some communication with Bosmeri tree-shapers.

Mudin-ta: Insult, one who wastes things.

Nunkadai: Tribal concept, “I am because we are.�

Shen shi nui: Insult, stupid or insensitive person. Literally “an elderly sloth’s anus.�



Dunmeris

Sommehlel: imbeciles.



Moonshadow

Akka zizania: A grain grown in Moonshadow. "Moon rice."

Apple snails: Thumb-sized terrestrial snails often cooked in garlic butter.

Cloudskimmer: Carnivorous white and gray bird bird found in Moonshadow. Hunts in flocks. Eleven foot wingspan.

Elder-cep: Bright blue edible mushroom grown in Moonshadow.

Figment: Winged snake from Evergloam, invasive in Moonshadow. The most dominant female of a nest becomes the queen, growing a humanoid head with a fanged mouth.

House-banyan: Girdling vine that kills the plant it grows on once it can support its own weight. The resulting hollow interiors can be used as dwellings. Sweet smelling white and yellow flowers.

Shadowcat: Slender, elongated cat-like predator native to Evergloam, invasive in Moonshadow. Dark gray to black, nine feet long in the body.

Silvergrass: Grain-bearing plant found in Moonshadow, seeds are ground to make bread flour.

Springhare: Plains-dwelling bunny of Moonshadow, two feet high at the shoulder.

Star dew: Very sweet effervescent alcoholic beverage made in Moonshadow. Contains moon sugar.



Nordic

Akkvit: Winterhold whiskey.

Fikken Orkey: an exclamation meaning one has received unwelcome or uncomfortable attention from Old Knocker, used like “We’re screwed.�

Kak: poop.

Koocha: lady parts.

Salj: Dry, granular snow.



Tamrielic

Diggerbee: Ground-nesting, parasitic wasp. Adult size four inches in length.

Drum-belly spider: ambush predator found in caves and ruins. Bites and spits venom. Can take an adult Bosmer, but not a Nord.

Kahve: A dark, stimulating beverage brewed from ground, roasted beans and served just under the boil. Yep, you guessed it.

Mothwood trees: understory, pink spring flowers.

Northern Sunshine: A dry, hoppy lager brewed in Bruma.

Sawnut trees: understory, white spring flowers.

Silverbark tree: A gigantic tree native to Valenwood. Capable of some communication with Bosmer tree-shapers.

Skitt: Excrement.

Terramancy: The magic of soil, rock, and mineral including its shaping on a large scale. Terramancers range from practitioners of simple miners’ magic to hermits who some say commune with the very Earth Bones.

Treerat: Arboreal, herbivorous rodent native to Cyrodiil. Picture a Kaibab squirrel with a body as long as Jerric’s forearm.



Yoku

Ran alai: small cake of sweetened cheese in a slimy white sauce (Jerric’s description).

Rota chatapay: crispy fried vegetable roll.





.

This post has been edited by Grits: Jun 6 2025, 02:15 PM