Why is "Imperial" both a faction allegiance indicator and a race in the game?


This is a really confusing to me.



Anyone and any race can be a member of the Imperial Legion, you see Nords (Rikke), Imperials (Tullius) and even Altmer (Fasendil) in their ranks. We also know Osimer play a decent role in the Legion as smiths and warriors. In general, the Imperial Legion seems to be an equal-opportunity employer.

Character identity seems to be often communicated by Faction / Race... ie: Rikke would be an Imperial Nord (as opposed to a Stormcloak Nords like Galmar Stone-fist), or you would say Fasendil is an Imperial Altmer (, Orcs in the service of the Empire as Imperial Orcs... This makes good sense.

By that design what do you call General Tullius... an Imperial Imperial? I don't believe I've ever heard that used ingame (for obvious reasons).
The point is moot regarding something like the Thalmor. Thalmor=Altmer but Altmer=/=Thalmor. This is why you never hear someone saying a Thalmor Orc, or a Thalmor Altmer... using Thalmor implies Altmer as a race unlike "Imperial" in the Fasendil example above.

What do you say if a native of Cyrodiil (race=Imperial) joins the Stormcloaks... do you call them a Stormcloak Imperial? An Imperial Stormcloak? I don't recall hearing this in the game either, but surely not everyone in Cyrodiil is loyal to the Empire so this situation must arise at some point?




"Imperial" just does not make sense to me as a name of a race, when the same word is used for faction membership. The term "Cyrodilic" is used in game to describe objects from Cyrodiil, namely brandy and a spadetail fish, but perhaps like Asian/Oriental there would be a different words for people/objects. Cyrodilian? Cyrolian? I guess every time I hear "Imperial" in the game, my mind goes first to the Imperial Legion and not the race, because that name does not evoke anything of a place to me. That being said, none of the other race names are based off the regions' names from which they hail. Nords are not Skyrimmers, Bretons are not High Rockers, and Kajiit are not Elsweyrians.

Am I alone in finding this confusing? Perhaps earlier TES games explain this so it make more sense for other players?


Skyrim is my first TES game, apologies if this is a new player question or otherwise displays my lack of oldschool legitimacy.

some of them are (imperials) are nibenese, others are colovians, the nibenese are slick talking traders from the lower part of cyrodil, while the colovians are watered down nords. They run the empire so they took the name of imperials, and yes i agree it is a stupid name, they weren't even introduced til morrowind anyways

I think you would then call him an Imperial Cyrod, or a Stormcloak Cyrod.

Also, Elseweyr and Valenwood are part of the new Aldmeri Dominion, though I do not know if there are Bosmer or Khajiit Thalmor.

Just think of the French Foreign Legion, not all members are french, or the roman army, this took recruits from all the countries they invaded, so was a mix of nationalities.

As the empire grew so did the legions membership

I wish I was a High Rocker

there are Khajiit agents , but both Mer and Man tend to look down on Beast Races as lesser beings.

Thats why i love playing a khajiit, its something their kind and mine have in common.

Why is this so confusing? The term "Roman" lost its literal term when Italian peoples of the Latin league were made citizens (or rather annexed) in the 4th century BC. By the beginning of the 5th century AD the Roman army consisted largely of Germanic tribesmen who fought for the Roman Legions.

Now lets look at something which should be much more confusing, the term "American". Named after some Italian guy who was instrumental in 'discovering' a new continent for Europeans who thought they reached India. Then those Europeans started moving over there and while they were at it, started importing from other continents people to work for them over there. And chasing away people who lived there for thousends of years, for good meassure.
Later one of those "America's" decided they had enough of ol' Blighty and declared themselves independant. But who exactly were those people who decided they had enough of drinking tea? People who came from all over the place and decided that they didn't need a Euro king anymore.

Much more confusing then the term "Imperial" used in TES.

Nibenese and Colovian are two terms I don't even think are used in the game? At least I don't recall them. Now we're getting somewhere, those would do well to clear up people who come from Cyrodiil but arent in the Imperial Legion!



I've never heard Cyrod used either in Skyrim, is it used in earlier games?




In your example we have "France" - the place (Cyrodiil), "French Foreign Legion" - A French Military organization (Imperial Legion), and "French" - the term for people from France (What is used in Skyrim... Imperial). This is why it is confusing, there is no individual term for people from Cyrodil (at least as used in Skyrim, apparently Colovian and Nibenese would work here, but aren't used at all).


Were that real-world example as is used in Skyrim, all people from France would not be called French in the first place... that term doesn't exist in Skyrim... they would be called Legionaires, the same word used to describe members of the French Foreign Legion [in the same way "Imperial" is used to describe members of the Imperial Legion and people from Cyrodiil).





Sure, that is more confusing I suppose, but it does not make the Imperial naming conventions in the game any less confusing?

Its no different from being a "Roman" & being in the "Roman Legion". Being in the Roman Legion didn't automatically make a person a Roman.

Sure. Nor does being in the Imperial Legion make you Imperial of race, I describe that in the 3rd line of the OP.

In other words, what I am saying is there is no clear way (to me) to describe someone from Cyrodiil who does not have an affiliation with the Imperial Legion. Or, in Skyrim they never seem to use the already-established words that would make that distinction more easily understood (to me).

How would someone from Rome be described who didn't have an affiliation with the Roman Empire?