Why be Breton? -Magic Resistance --Tanky Mages --Best Spellblades --Resistant to all Dragon breath attacks -Dragon Skin -Summon Familiar at lvl 1 -A good looking Breton is a sign of artistic mastery -Belethor could be your Cousin -People in Winterhold won't comment on you being an elf
@@daemon_otaku it took me a while but I think my Breton Knight looks good well as good as I could make him he doesn't look like some illiterate peasant
@@areloustrying Yeah I actually managed to make a really good loking blue eyed, dark skinned wih fancy hair breton in Skyrim. I eventually turned it for roleplaying purpouses into a vampire lord and it still looks good.
Just wanted you guys to know, the community included, that you guys have given my childhood and adulthood creativity and life. I love you all the way from Morrowind to Skyrim, to ESO.
So the only reason you like them is because they're good for fighting specifically an Altmer supremacist group? Seems a bit shallow... especially when you have others like Dunmer who also are good at destruction magics, and the Altmer in Summerset who don't like the Thalmor are still very powerful with their offensive magical prowess... Bretons being reduced to an "Anti-Thalmor" race is pretty demeaning in terms of to how insignificant you seem to think they are outside of it.
@@andrewgrahamlloyd6253 Culturally in their aesthetic. I like what they talked about here-about they have this nature to always go out and achieve- to rise up and become something greater is cool. Mostly though more lore and unique characters during certain events- flesh out their history.
@@kangtheconqueror8359 some specific Breton heroes/ characters could be cool/ more unique qualities would be cool. In Skyrim they felt like no name brand imperials hahah!!
49:50 I've said for almost a decade, the Reachmen are the closest the Elder Scrolls has ever come to giving us a faction, anywhere, that's not cartoonishly evil.
For me it's less the elf aspect and more the Arthurian knight and Celtic Barbarian themes of Bretons and ReachMen. I'm on each extreme of the Spectrum I love either Basic bitch Arthurian fantasy or crazy out there fantasy it why My favorite races are Redguard,Khajiit and Breton.
Celts were called 'barbarians' by the Romans because they didn't speak Latin or Greek. (The Greek original meant non-Greek-speakers.) They had an ancient and sophisticated civilization of their own, trade routes, scholarship, etc.; their values were just different from those of the Romans. They burned serious criminals as sacrifices instead of sending them to be torn apart by wild animals for public amusement in an arena.
@@brownie43212 How much of that comes from what the Greeks and Romans had to say about them? Especially after they stomped the Celtic cultures they conquered (which was nearly all of them) into the ground.
@@brownie43212 "barbarian" just means "that culture is different and I don't like it". There has never existed a true barbarian people, only different levels of technology.
Double video regarding one of my favourite races in Tamriel! My first ever build was the Ethereal Hunter so they have a place in my heart. Thank you very much Fudgemuppet crew for your contributions to the Elder Scrolls community!
I currently have 3 playthroughs on my Skyrim. One of them is a Breton wearing clothing, Alteration, and a One-Handed Axe. They also have the Lord Stone equipped. In theory by the time of Alteration Mastery alone I should have: 80% Magic Resistance, I also intend on the Aetherial Crown with Atronach Stone as well:)
“I am Emeric, High King of the Bretons.” “King of the Who?” “The Bretons!” “Who are the Bretons?” “Well, we all are. We’re all Bretons and I am your high king.” “I didn’t know we had a high king. I thought we were fiefdoms.” “Now you do.” “Yeah well, I didn’t vote you.“
I like breton they make great jack of all trades battle mages, lore wise they do get the short end of the stick since ESO imo. They're mermen. Not the aquatic kind.
Bretons are also a real ethnicity in France, who hail from Brittany. Merlin is supposed to have been born there, and Lancelot was the son of King Ban, which is where modern Mt St Michel is. So the whole "magical lifestyle" does work well.
3:25 I like to think of it working like the human-Neanderthal interbreeding. It doesn't matter how many generations pass, we will always have those genes, and they are always passed as long as they are useful.
One thing I think is really interesting about Breton ‘mages’ is the way is presents their magic systems. The main magic system in Tamriel is the Elven one where magic is drawn from Atherius and is very intellectual. Whereas the Breton witches and Reach-folk embody a Druid-like system where power is drawn from nature and Mundus itself. If they do go to High Rock for ES6 it would be cool to have these 2 different magic systems in play and could alter gameplay too with one using traditional magika and the other using potions or consumable items to cast which is about taking power from the world. Basically the exploration of magic has always been the Elven style in ES but they could do a more Man side of things with spells coming from parts of Mundus.
The ancient Druids were legal authorities (judges), adjudicators (lawyers), lorekeepers (historians), medical professionals, and political advisors, as well as religious leaders. And they had to memorize all the lore, law, and medicine since none of it was ever written down. Celts weren't illiterate; the Greeks founded Massallia (Marseille) and spread literacy to the Gauls about 500BC. The druids memorized the information because what was written could be destroyed or altered. Druids only became associated with magic, other than the fact that medical and religious knowledge were often seen as uncanny, long after they had been destroyed and their lore lost - about 750 CE, when they were cast as sorcery-using opponents of Christianity. The "neo-druids " know nothing about real druids.
@@pedigreeann sincerely thank you for the history lesson I did not know that. However, I did mean Druid in the fantasy-style meaning of Druid like WOW, DnD etc which I’m sure you also realised but I don’t have a better name for the style of earth magic, if you have one let me know!
@@andykegs5584 the thing is druidism is the practice of earthly magic. Natural magics and such, so the name would be druid. Think of avatar the last Airbender. By Celtic standards, everyone who controls elements is actually a druid.
My favorite interaction with the reachmen is in the markharth dlc for eso. They really feel properly Celtic. Especially in the quest where you have to unite to feuding tribes in marriage or by other means. Really hoping I get to explore more of their culture in a future game.
I said this in a reply but I'm putting it as a standalone comment as well: I read something a while ago on Reddit where someone was saying the Bretons are their favourite race because they're really in to Arthuriana and aside from the surface level medieval Celtic similarities, thematically both the Bretons and King Arthur and co. share this theme of reconciliation with two previously opposing cultures or ideologies. The Bretons reconciling both their human side and their elven side and combining the best of both, King Arthur doing that with the Romanized, Catholic cultural elements of Albion and the Celtic, pagan elements that were still somewhat culturally present at the time the stories are set in, but dying out. His marriage to Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar, an old Fae queen/goddess of sovereignty and then land) can be said to symbolise his marriage and surface to the Goddess, while himself being a Christian man (which also plays in to ideas about balance and harmony between the divine masculine and divine feminine). The Lady of the Lake also plays this role too in versions where she's not evil. The 'civilized' culture of Roman Catholic kings and priests and the wild, nature-centric culture of Celtic druids and priestesses. Best of both worlds. Same with the Bretons and combining cultural and religious values of both the elves and humans by their very existence as a race.
How are Bretons super short if they have elven blood? It doesn’t make sense to me since the Elves are really tall so shouldn’t the half-blood Bretons be like tall humans?
The Bretons are my favorite for their lore, culture, and atmosphere. The whole medieval knight/ranger, castles and kingdoms, will always be my favorite type of history and fantasy. It feels so much adventurous to have a familiar and sturdy foundation like that and then exploring other crazy environments like Morrowind or Valenwood. It stills has recognizable and more easily understandable vibes to explore other near realistic environments like the Scandinavian Skyrim or Roman Cyrodiil. All and all, it feels best to me, High Rock and the Bretons. Classic heroes remaining untangled and above the rest of the wackiness of Tamriel, only getting involved to play a part in more grand events. Apparently Bethesda feels similar as the series pretty much begins with them and might actually end with them to.
Thank you so much for these podcasts, they have been my safe place mentally lately. No worries in the world, listening people talking about a lore they love and I too. So relaxing.
I always considered Bretons to be criminally underrated and overshadowed by more outlandish TES races like the Dunmer. But come on, they are half-elves, with innate knack for magic and entire culture build around court intrigues and civil wars fought with magic and sword, that's cool as hell
I hope in ES6 they give the Bretons a more Elveish look. Make them look like Lord of the Rings elves, Human with elveish features as a contast to the more alien look of ES elves.
The main question is whether the Bretons will stay loyal to the Empire in the coming war with the Thalmor. My opinion is that they are too politically divided to provide any sort of meaningful contribution in the next great war. Also, Thalmor agents would find it easy to sow confusion amongst the kingdoms.
The concordat terms were only damaging to nords and redguards so I think bretons are more likely to stay loyal. But with bretons I think it's more of a question of which kings stay loyal and which don't rather than saying the whole province.
@@kingclint2382 I think it would honestly depend on whats more strategic for them. Being all politically divided and the like, If the empire lost Skyrim, I could easily see the Bretons seceding for their own benefit. It also depends on how the Thalmor treat them. Do they treat them better than they treat other humans because of their elven ancestry? Do they treat them worse because of their mixed blood? If the Thalmor were smart, they'd try and get the Man-Merri to side with them. However I don't see Bethesda making the Thalmor that savvy, they'll probably treat them like second class citizens like they supposedly treat the Khajiit (according to Ri'saad, Thalmor aren't really well liked).
I personally hope we see some anti-imperial sentiment in High Rock if TESVI is set there, i kind of like the idea of having the 4th Era games be the breaking of the 3rd Empire (though i don't necessarily think that the Empire has to end or anything, it's just cool to see it struggling for it's provinces)
I think the "Racial Philogeny" (or however you spell it) book doesn't contradict the Breton origin. Let's say you have two mixed race couples. In one the woman is human, in the other an elf. Their children would be 90% elf and 10% human and the other way around. Now, if the children grow up and have a child, the child will take 90% of the mother's mixed blood and 10% of the father's. Let's say the mother was mostly elven. Then the child ends up getting 81% of their blood from their mother's elven side, 9% from her human side, 9% from father's human side and 1% from his elven side, resulting in being 82% elf 18% human. Scale that up and add more generations and you end up with a race that's about 50/50 human and elf. If there are more pure humans among the ancestors we just end up with a different percentage, like 70/30 for example
Look, lets not beat around the bush here. Bethesda back in the 90's was just afraid to make a game that didn't have any stereotypical white villagers in it, simple as that. The Bretons as they stand then are an outdated relic of a past era and badly need to be revamped for TES6. Make them properly half elven. Keep the Arthurian culture stuff but mix High Elf culture in with it as well to make something more fun and unique.
@@zixx844 I'm not arguing with that. Just saying that the book explaining the lack of mixed races doesn't work with generations of interbreeding, so the existence of Bretons doesn't clash with it
The book confirms Bretons, if anything. It says a child will be the mother's race, with possible traces of the father's race. Thus male elf + female human, no matter how many generations = human offspring. Thus, we got magically adept humans with high cheekbones and occasional tips to the ears.
Random thought in regards to Bretons losing the elf, arguably the more "magical" features. I wonder if it's kind of tied to the birth signs being weaker and (possibly) the Towers are falling one by one and the spokes on the wheel are breaking, that all magic is losing its potency as the world/Lorkhan's Heart grows older. Just throwin that out there
The more towers fall, the closer the world will be to Dawn era-like state thus myths and magic will be more relevant. Heart of Lorkhan is just a VERY powerful magical artifact, but the source of magic is Aetherius
The other night I was having an identity crisis as I always do about weather I’d be a nord or Breton. Chose Breton and wanted to hear the podcast on them but it didn’t exist. Now it does and I am happy and satisfied lol.
Daggerfall Covenant is easily my favorite faction in ESO High King Emeric is a GIGA Chad like no other and his alliance actually made a great deal of sense to the fact that I would love to see if you can make High Rock break away from the Empire in Elder Scrolls 6 and reform the Covenant against the Dominion
Emeric is one of the few base game characters who feel like real people. I'd love to see more of him, pity they made most of the High Rock in base game, it would be much more diverse if they gave it the same attention they give to DLC zones
I agree fully. Imho, it would be great, if they made it more like eso (faction wise) - it would bring more narative opportunities for the setting, not just the usual "the emlire needs you to beat the shit of a problem we kinda created"
41:10 this reminds me of the escape from Cinda mine quest where after completion of that quest you get the armour of the old gods which got me thinking maybe these gods and the obscure gods in high rock have some connection to each other?
32:00 good joke and too true I live rpimg as a Breton looking to make a name for himself but they aren't fleshed out so it's hard to tie them to a legitimate lore. Unlike my orc which is the chieftains younger brother who left after his father lost in combat for he didn't wish to fight his brother so now I wonder nirn to bring honor to malakath
Well I know what the main plot will be: Imagine southern Hammerfell is invaded by the Thalmor, Settlements are conquered or razed. As always you start as a prisoner within an abandoned underground prison that was abandoned because of the war. You free yourself and get to the surface. Later you meet up with some warrior guy, a redguard, maybe an alik'r or something like that. He hails from the south, fought against the Thalmor and lost, accompanied by a breton witch and some other people. And now he sends you down there to stop the Thalmor and retake the land. He will have inspirational speeches like "Another settlement needs your help, I'll mark it on your map." I think that would be the perfect plot.
If any NPC other than the one in fallout says that shit says “Another settlement needs your help, I’ll mark your map” I’m gonna kick Todd Howard in the dick.
So if you do a punnet square for Bretons being Bb, then one fourth of all the breton kids will have no eleven phenotypes with half of then being Bb and 1/4th being BB, a 'pure' elf.
Bretons aren't specifically my favorite or anything, but i appreciate the vanilla medieval european fantasy stuff they bring to the Elder Scrolls, it contrasts nicely with the out there stuff like Dunmer and Khajiiti culture while also being pretty cool on it's own
31:30 Emeric is like the Mr. House of Elder Scrolls, he is a savvy player of the great game, he manages 'the calculus of power' as Mr. House puts it but also has force of his own as he beat up the Reach-Emperor. He is also voiced by a great actor, Bill Nighy, Mr. House was voiced by René Auberjonois (rip).
39:45 I had a moment that unintentionally illustrated this really well on my current Skyrim playthrough. I was in the temple of Talos in Windhelm, and after talking to the priestess she told me to go with Arkay's blessing. Probably a scripting oversight, but it could also be illustrative of the religious conflict in Skyrim at the time. Even a Nordic priestess of Talos in the seat of Stormcloak power still respects the Eight.
*"Ah, the Bretons, the Man-Mer. Perhaps a few of them with greater Elven Ancestry and traits would be interested in joining the Aldmeri Dominion, to help stabilize High Rock under more Elven principles, as it was under Direnni rule. I'll attempt to persuade my fellow Thalmor colleagues to accept those of Aldmeri blood more often, and perhaps in this respect, we can forge a new Aldmeris."* - A message to my Aldmeri Kin: We should be banding together with our Elven cousins who wish to join us, something Queen Ayrenn would surely want, not harming them like some of my fellow Thalmor do to Bosmer in Valenwood. Only united can we hope to topple the dastardly Empire of Man
13:50 (Also, to respond to Michael, it's quite interesting how the Falmer simply let the Nedes live in peace among them in Skyrim, perhaps not really wanting to enslave or war with them, unlike the Atmorans who kept raiding/invading even before Ysgramor ever arrived. Plus, with the early Nedes and Reachmen having Daedra Worshipping stuff, and since we know the Atmorans also had dealings with Hermaeus Mora (the Woodland man, is what they called him), maybe that's why the Snow Elves suddenly descended upon Saarthal that night, rooting out Daedra worshipping, Dragon Cult having, warlike Atmorans
I doubt your colleagues will be convinced, even other elves are *impure* for them and moreover Bretons are mixed with souls of men, I doubt they'd want any part of Lorkhan's lesser souls in their team.
@@jonathansoko1085 *"Perhaps, but we shouldn't abandon those of proper Elven heritage. If they retain more Elven traits, we should give them a chance to ally with us, and we can also gain support from the Direnni at Adamantine Tower while we're at it."*
The Need/Direni story is super reminiscent of the Norman conquest and English history I just realized, and considering the origin of the term Breton it probably ain't a coincidence
I have always used bretons for my magicka based characters because their racials are just so strong. I always thought it was wierd that altmer had a natural weakness to magicka damage, yet bretons have a resistance to it... from breeding with aldmer? How does that happen?
I’d ague it came from the Nedic side. The aldmer may be more gifted magically, but that fine tuning may be easier to mess up as a result. The nedic side might be acting as a reinforcement of sorts to that magical damage. The comparison that comes to mind is that between the AR-15 and the AK-47. The AR may be the ‘better’ rifle with better accuracy and range, but it needs cleaning and other maintenance pretty often. The AK on the other hand is famous for being able to go through hell and still fire properly.
Whenever I do an Orc Build they are quite sexy same for Argonion:) Anyway one of my current playthroughs I intend on achieving essentially 100% Magic Resistance with a Breton.
You guys are massive legends. I've been subbed for years and I've listened to HOURS of the podcast during the past few weeks at work. So cool you guys are still doing this and finding fresh topics/ takes everyday. You've illuminated the true beauty in the stories of the Elder Scrolls for me and given me such a deeper understanding into mythology/ theology, and worldbuilding writing of it. So thankful you guys are still going strong at it, congrats at how far you've come!! #ES6hypetrain
I love when Scott says the word "idea". Sounds like he's saying "eye deer". Anyway, I completely agree that the Bretons should be more like what they were shown to be in the Oblivion art. So much cooler than Ricki Gervais
Breton has always been my favorite race. Has nothing to do with lore. And nothing to do with Daggerfall being my first and favorite ES title. It's because I've always played a spellsword. And they make kick ass spellswords.
It'd be great if you did an episode on the battle of red mountain specifically, or a video documenting some of the most prominent off screen wars in Tamriel's history.
@@Dragon_Lair I have to wonder the same thing. I mean, if I went around saying I was the High King just because some moistened bink had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!
Why do I need a reason for everything? Mortals, mortals, mortals! Always needing a reason to do things. For example: people think light chases away the shadows! I prefer to think that without a few lights, there'd be no shadows to enjoy."
I love that you put these on Apple podcasts thank you. I have a whole 60 some podcast catalogue that I can listen to at work which is so great. It was a mistake and a blessing to take a break from anything elder scrolls related so now I have a like 2 year long catalogue on fudge muppet videos to watch and all the podcasts 😩 👏
It actually depends on what genes are inherited/dominant vs recessive. Or whether they are passed down matrilineally or paternally. For instance what if the gene for magic was passed down primarily in women? Maybe the pocket guide generalizes Bretons much the same way people do other nations, take the US for instance. As far as the gods go, maybe you could have regional gods. Like if people live by the sea they all remember that one great sea god, or if by a river the god of the river, or if the village's primary means of production is wheat, a god of wheat/harvest. In the larger towns and cities you could have where they worship more of the mainstream gods due to imperial influence etc., but when you get in the more rural areas they still have some of the older gods. Or possibly even in the larger cities they still remember a couple regional gods, but out in the countryside away from imperial influence they still remember most of the old gods. Take Wayrest for instance, what if they have a temple to the river god?
Honestly i really enjoy each race for different reasons but bretons are a very common go to in terms of actually playing the game as the basic magic resistance makes them one of if not the best race in every game
As for the dilution of elven blood in the Bretons, I always think of it like this: The Direnni kept their good-looking, Nedic serfs as a sort of a pass time, but mer actually reproduce at far slower rates than man. This would result in only a few manmer, who strictly aren't allowed to interbreed with Direnni (in order to preserve Direnni blood) living amongst a far larger population of Nedic suitors. Even if they wanted otherwise, I think most of them, statistically, would end up with Nedic partners.
They're my favorite because of the evolution of the culture. It's got Druidic roots that are still there, but at the forefront is the Saxons. Or the English kingdoms prior to being united as England by Alfred. Kinda like a melding of Welsh and English into just one thing.
I've always made my character relate to myself personally, which I know isn't good for multiple playthroughs. I've always related the most to the Breton, being that my dad was of German descent aka. Nord / "Germanic tribes" and my mom being of Scottish descent aka. Breton / "Celtic" which brings me to being Breton. As for the Reachmen, I believe they're their own race in my canon. I believe they're offspring of Nede and Orsimer (pre-change). I know someone could argue that the Reachmen are just a sub-culture of the Breton, just like the Imperials have Nibenese / Colovian (Roman / Medieval German). But atleast with the Imperials on both sides they share first names ending in “us”. Whereas the Breton’s have more French names as well as include a surname. The Reachmen straight up have no surnames, just a first and doesn’t sound French at all, more resembling Germanic tribal names possibly. Even in the lore itself it states that the Reachmen are descendants of the Keptu clan of Nede, and that Breton and Reachmen both don’t see eachother as kin. But then again you could compare that to the Orsimer being Mer.
Mountains split them (bretons and Reachmen) one side has a relatively stable culture with little to no external influence the other is under constant invasions by larger cultures one after another (dwemer?, falmer, and nords) they can easily be the same people just very different history and therefore cultures
I think the Reachmen are supposed to be based on ancient Celts, given their names (Faolan, Trystan, Durcorach, etc.), their shared origins with the Bretons (hence the nickname "Witchmen of High Rock"), and their struggle against the Nords somewhat resembling the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain (hell, they even get pushed back into smaller and smaller pockets of Reachman culture in the South-West of the region, just like how the real-world Britons were forced back into Wales and Cornwall, where remnants of their old language and way of life can still be found). Meanwhile, the modern day Breton culture seems to take inspiration from Norman-controlled England, as well as the peninsula of Brittany (whose people share a demonym with the Elder Scrolls race). The mixture of human and elven culture seems to mirror the adoption of French cultural and linguistic characteristics found in both England and Brittany. Plus, you know, the whole aesthetic of Arthurian/Carolingian legend and feudal in-fighting they have reflect both British and French culture pretty well.
I feel like I relate to the bretons just because I can make myself with their race easier than others...I like to sort of add myself in games if possible to escape reality
Same I’m English/German and Scottish.. but in my lore im a Breton with a nord father and a Breton mother but I feel as a nord and my character at a young age grows to hate his elvish dna and try’s really hard to prove that he’s a nord so he joins the stormcloaks to prove he is a nord and after being dragonborn a learning more about talos and that he might have been a Breton he kinda mellows out
Breton is the best race though lol. Best passives, versatile and makes for the best mage class. They also have the blood of both human and man so who doesn't want to be a hybrid? xD
I love how the Bretons can just shrug off magic passively "sure" you can slap your anti magic enchanted stickers on your armor but Bretons make good Spellsword without the filthy smugness of a simping elf lover
My first character in Oblivion was a Breton purely based on the looks, but for the paladin style it is not a bad race. Extra magicka for more healing, and extra magic resistance are both quite useful. Later in Skyrim i also played Breton, because in my story he was the same person from Oblivion. As a vampire that 200 hardly matters, and he got bored of the total luxury, and control of the Isles. So he went out for an adventure. Because of the total luxury his combat skills heavily reduced over the centuries. Though in Skyrim i made attempt for a Breton focused build. Abusing as many skills it has as possible, and it was surprisingly powerful. In fact it is the most gear independent build in the game. Method is: Conjure ally for tanking purposes, conjure a sword, and then use the conjured blade with one-handed skill to attack. For defense there are 2 styles. You can either go heavy armor+smithing, or go with alteration, and light. Former is better against warriors, because more armor from low level, and once atronach stone is taken mages are easy foes as well so this build is generally stronger. Latter is better against mages, because more health from restoration magic, and it also more gear independent, because you get armor from spells. Use the Atronach standing stone, and if stuff goes hard against mages use Breton racial. These 2 combined grants IMMUNITY to magic with the 100% spell absorbtion.
That Daggerfall Noble image gives me huge Kievan Rus vibes, and I kind of dig it for Bretons. Like, IRL Russia came out of the mix of locals Slavs, Norse invaders and cultural exchanges with Byzantium, bringing in Roman, Greek and indirectly Chinese influence. High Rock, likewise, has a long history of the very Vikingesque Nords and the Altmer, who have some definite Imperial China and Greek influences, battling for control of the province. As well as sea trade with the very Western Slavic Colovian Estates, and rule by the very VERY Roman Nibenese. Even Hammerfell could be used as a justification for the adoption of domes in their architecture. They're neighbors with a history of both war and trade, I'm sure at least some Bretons have been "Wow, cool domes" when visiting Hammerfell. It'd also be just kind of unique. I've seen plenty of Fantasy French, a decent amount of Fantasy Celts and sometimes Fantasy Russians. But never a mix of all three. And that'd just be cool. It's maybe a bit of a longshot, but ESO does have a Breton named Dimitri, which is the French from of the Russian Dmitry via Church Slavic, so maybe. Here's hoping anyway. I do like the Bretons, but they really could use a little love with lore and cultural influences to make them less Generic French Fantasy Dudes.
Bretons would be blessed beyond imagining to have the social mobility the modern Western world has, so the point that it should be taken as relative to the ES universe matters quite a bit.
It definitely wouldn't make much sense for the Bretons to look very Elven at all by the time of the Third Era if we are talking about real world genetics, but Elder Scrolls ancestry works differently.
Fun Fact: this is a theory as to why neanderthals went extinct, and it links to the human/elf feature thing. Lemme explain. So basically humans were far more common than neanderthals But, human women at the time saw neanderthals, wider, more muscular men, and wished to have children with them instead of human men, but then human men got stuck with the "manlier" neanderthal women, so in both cases genes were mixed between them. this lead, due to the higher populations of humans, to neanderthals the children being half human half neanderthal. Over time they bred together leading to "purebred" neanderthals becoming extinct. Most modern humans that have non sub-saharan African lineage have 1-4% genetics which came from neanderthals! features like blue eyes, red hair, and thicker body hair is supposedly Neanderthal based. I know this isn't really that related but this really made me think of humans/neanderthals. i don't know how many of you will read this, but i think its really cool
I'm still catching up on the podcast, but if you guys see this, please keep it up! I love the podcast and i hope you guys never run out of things to talk about!
I think it would be cool if there was a cult to Ius somewhere in the backcountry of Highrock that was just a small community of Khajiit and Bosmer that live in harmony with a pack of various animals....maybe even through in a Wombat just for the hell of it.
You know if rapiers were ever introduced into the universe of the Elder Scrolls, I could see the Bretons being the creators of them. They've got that high fantasy elegant feel to them, so a weapon of high elegance would suit them. Probably be something in the hands of knights and nobility. Also, high quality rapiers made of Moonstone in an Elven style by personal master Breton blacksmiths sounds awesome. Imagine becoming nobility to a king in Highrock, you're gifted a sizeable, well stocked home, complete with your own personal Master Blacksmith who could forge you a Rapier made of Moonstone, Glass, or Adamantium as a symbol of your status throughout that kingdom? As well your own personal knights to guard your assets while you're away. Of course introducing rapiers would require Bethesda to introduce a better system of combat as you cant really just flail about a rapier about like you would a short-sword. Maybe a more refined style of swordplay? Not necessarily combos, I think that would take away from the Elder Scrolls charm, but maybe a more realistic approach to combat, visually. (Not necessarily Kingdom Come Deliverance's Swordplay). Parrying and thrusting should be added to the combat arsenal as well. It could work like a timed block, but with sword clashes. If an enemy swings a sword at you and you've have a lighter sword/faster swing speed, you could deflect it with your blade. Properly timed defections could see the player (or opponent) avoid all damage. If you counter with a power attack instead (like with Fallout4), you could see a counter attack instead of a parry. Also finishers would still be available when an opponent is near death, like in Fallout4. I could also imagine duels of honor between knights. I'm aware that there are some mods that do things similar, however I think Bethesda could benefit from taking inspiration from some of them and make it their own.
I wonder if there are Bretons that have Snow Elf lineage or Dwarven ancestors? I mean I get most Bretons came from around the same area but I wonder if there is isolated “tribes” or civilizations of these other varieties of Half Elves out on islands and other unventured places.
I always preferred the Breton race as all the others have an origin story of some god, Daedra or other ancient force decided to create them. Bretons just happened. They're the race no god ever intended. It's a small thing I know but I find it interesting.
Me and my GF have spent ages redesigning the Bretons to be more interesting. The big thing we changed in their history was that the Durenni actively shared their blood with the humans instead of being overly protective. In our lore, the Elves established a culture in High Rock of magical prowess where ones skill with the arcane was one of the most important factors as to where they stood in society. This meant that as a side effect, elven blood was actively sought after as it guaranteed children would have a greater role in society thanks to their increased magical potential. It allowed the Elves to effectively retain control while getting rid of the overt cast elements and solidifying Elven influence over the province. The result was a society that was like an elvanised version of Victorian Europe. The Bretons are highly skilled battle mages and craftsmen, who's state of near endless internal conflict lead them to being in an arms race with eachother where they are constantly trying to create new magics and weapons to one up their rivals. Unlike the other races who's weapons and magics are well refined and well tested, the bretons often go into battle with spells or tools just as likely to explode in their hands as they are to kill their enemies.
Huh, that's pretty cool, pretty dope you and your GF worked together on this. So, in your headcannon, they showed the Nedes their own magical prowess, and decided to make the Cast System that way... yeah, that makes sense. So, the Direnni rule and show the Nedes how to apply sciences and arcane powers to improve their lives. In return, the Nedes work more mundane tasks, and if a Direnni sees an attractive Nede, offers their child a better life with Elven blood, which comes with all the biological advantages, including, as you said, arcane prowess. So instead of Direnni demanding to sleep with the Nedes by force, you and your GF sort of make it more applicable, as in, many Nedes actually DID want to breed with the Direnni, (although I imagine if some didn't, some may not have been given a choice). The Direnni men would take multiple concubines, and perhaps if the occasional Direnni Woman didn't mind carrying a child with "lesser" Human blood, they'd take on a Nedic Male who would then care for the kid himself . (Since we know the Breton offspring weren't directly taken into the family of the Direnni they came from). Unless it was just a Male Direnni thing that the ladies didn't mind? How did you guys go about that gender situation, actually? Maybe the Direnni ladies just didn't get pregnant, but just "rewarded" male Nedes who did noble things?
@@thalmoragent9344 We agreed that the Direnni men would have absolutely had multiple human concubines, giving their superior blood to those womens children as a reward for their families hard effort. However, Direnni women breeding with non-pure Elves was highly restricted and saved for only the Nedic men who truely showed their loyalty. However after thousands of years, eventually the Nedes and Derenni fully assimilated one another and became their own distinctive race, half elven, half human with some substantial variation between the various kingdoms. The different kingdoms do fight eachother over their differences in opinion. Some willing to adapt the more egalitarian 8 divines and integrate more with the humans, while the more isolated and conservative kingdoms wish to hold onto their more elven gods. However, access to the Adamantine tower further complicated matters when scholars who used the site for trying to scribe into the past began to come up with a different set of beliefs. The idea that once upon a time, humans and elves were the same race. A mighty race ruled over by the two god rulers Apoeil and Zatami (the Bretony names my GF and I came up with). They ruled long before this current Kalpa cycle or the last 100 and the Elnofey empire was the greatest society creation had ever seen. Then through calamity and mishap the empire was destroyed, leading to the god Emperor and Empress (Auriel/Apoiel and Lorkhan/Zatami) to fight and the war between the gods we know of from the Elven creation story. By the time of the late 3rd era and 4th era, this depiction had come out on top in High Rock. So to know what the Bretons are like in my GF and I's lore. Imagine if Victorian era Europe was Elvenised and they had a religion like something out of Warhammer.
@@zixx844 Huh, yeah I can totally see that. Quite impressive, I could totally take much of this as my own Headcanon, I appreciate it! Although, to be clear, the Direnni already have a name for Lorkhan, as in "Sheor", and so I can't imagine the made up names of Auriel and Lorkhan would ever be drastically difficult to what they already know, but other than that, yeah, this would make the Lore a bit more cohesive and fleshed out, at least in terms of Origins and stuff. You guys have any other hazy Lore you've expanded upon/made a better explanation for, or was this just mostly a Breton sort of situation?
@@TheFeltmeister Well, most of it wouldn't be conflicting with the Lore, as it's already hazy as Fudgemuppet described, but I agree that the names for the Gods is a bit on the nose as Fanfiction, but yeah, overall, having it as headcannon and such is OK, so long as it doesn't conflict with the more concrete/established Lore
Why be Breton?
-Magic Resistance
--Tanky Mages
--Best Spellblades
--Resistant to all Dragon breath attacks
-Dragon Skin
-Summon Familiar at lvl 1
-A good looking Breton is a sign of artistic mastery
-Belethor could be your Cousin
-People in Winterhold won't comment on you being an elf
If you have a good looking Breton, without mods, you have a gift.
@@daemon_otaku it took me a while but I think my Breton Knight looks good well as good as I could make him he doesn't look like some illiterate peasant
@@daemon_otaku you just gotta play with the menu for a while it isn’t hard at all
@@areloustrying Yeah I actually managed to make a really good loking blue eyed, dark skinned wih fancy hair breton in Skyrim. I eventually turned it for roleplaying purpouses into a vampire lord and it still looks good.
Agreed. Nords and Bretons are the best Race. I see them being equal.
Just wanted you guys to know, the community included, that you guys have given my childhood and adulthood creativity and life. I love you all the way from Morrowind to Skyrim, to ESO.
If you like eso you're not an elder scrolls fan.
@@wiwysovaokay boi I can make an argument for why the Dunmer are canonically more racist than the nords so don’t call me not an es fan
Why did the elves breed their human slaves? Because, they had... Nedes.
Sit in the corner and think about your life.
We need a word to describe a grimace that is touched by smile. You need to find Jesus
Why did the imperial cry for his emperor... someone stole his sweetroll!
I don't want to love this as much as I do.
Alright.. take my like
"now they look like Ricky Gervais" lmao I died when he said that
Bretons' magic resistance makes them the biggest threat to the thalmor, that's why I like them
But the thalmor still have the greatest weapon, even against the Dragonborn and their shouts…lesser wards
So the only reason you like them is because they're good for fighting specifically an Altmer supremacist group? Seems a bit shallow... especially when you have others like Dunmer who also are good at destruction magics, and the Altmer in Summerset who don't like the Thalmor are still very powerful with their offensive magical prowess... Bretons being reduced to an "Anti-Thalmor" race is pretty demeaning in terms of to how insignificant you seem to think they are outside of it.
@@thalmoragent9344 your mum
Actually, that may be an interesting plot idea for TES6. The thalmor trying to sway high rock...
@@thalmoragent9344 its a bonus I found after the fact, Bretons are the most powerful overall imo
I find myself playing most builds as Bretons they’re quite versatile in most iterations
They’re op as hell , it’s ok to say it
@@Nekyo7788 I feel like it's a matter of other races more lack luster racial abilities in comparison to a Bretons.
I’ve wanted this podcast for so long Bretons my favorite race they’re underrated they just need more unique lore
They're pretty popular I wouldnt call them underrated
They’re my favourite as well!! What parts do you think need more unique lore??
@@andrewgrahamlloyd6253 Culturally in their aesthetic. I like what they talked about here-about they have this nature to always go out and achieve- to rise up and become something greater is cool. Mostly though more lore and unique characters during certain events- flesh out their history.
@@kangtheconqueror8359 some specific Breton heroes/ characters could be cool/ more unique qualities would be cool. In Skyrim they felt like no name brand imperials hahah!!
More unique? The only true half-breed with the only low-fantasy culture. Thief culture is different than the other provinces. Their unique in Nirn.
49:50 I've said for almost a decade, the Reachmen are the closest the Elder Scrolls has ever come to giving us a faction, anywhere, that's not cartoonishly evil.
Daedra in Oblivion: KILL, BURN, DESTROY!! GAaaaaahuhaueueia
@@sercravenmohead3631 Altmer: CONQUER EVERYTHING! ALSO FOCK TALOS
Altmer in the Dominion: KILL, BURN, DESTROY!! GAaaaaahuhaueueia
I was sad in skyrim that i couldn't join them.
For me it's less the elf aspect and more the Arthurian knight and Celtic Barbarian themes of Bretons and ReachMen. I'm on each extreme of the Spectrum I love either Basic bitch Arthurian fantasy or crazy out there fantasy it why My favorite races are Redguard,Khajiit and Breton.
Same especially with the dynamic of the ottoman/african redguards across the narrow sea that they interact with most commonly
Celts were called 'barbarians' by the Romans because they didn't speak Latin or Greek. (The Greek original meant non-Greek-speakers.) They had an ancient and sophisticated civilization of their own, trade routes, scholarship, etc.; their values were just different from those of the Romans. They burned serious criminals as sacrifices instead of sending them to be torn apart by wild animals for public amusement in an arena.
@@brownie43212 We live in a...
Culture.
@@brownie43212 How much of that comes from what the Greeks and Romans had to say about them? Especially after they stomped the Celtic cultures they conquered (which was nearly all of them) into the ground.
@@brownie43212 "barbarian" just means "that culture is different and I don't like it". There has never existed a true barbarian people, only different levels of technology.
Double video regarding one of my favourite races in Tamriel! My first ever build was the Ethereal Hunter so they have a place in my heart. Thank you very much Fudgemuppet crew for your contributions to the Elder Scrolls community!
Not surprised you're a Br*ton fan
That ethereal hunter was a kickass build though.. conjurer/archer/werewolf + magic resistance? Yes, please!
I’d like to second this comment
@@dimasgalvan7493 definitely need to try that build at some point may add the Stormcloak officer helmet for a bit more aesthetic flair to him
Everytime I want to start a new save, I always tell myself that I'll try the other races.
But lo and behold, my nth breton toon. :)
I currently have 3 playthroughs on my Skyrim.
One of them is a Breton wearing clothing, Alteration, and a One-Handed Axe. They also have the Lord Stone equipped. In theory by the time of Alteration Mastery alone I should have: 80% Magic Resistance, I also intend on the Aetherial Crown with Atronach Stone as well:)
Stop choosing Breton. Problem solved.
@@prime_optimus I would if I could find a mod where armor has built in magic resistance.
“I am Emeric, High King of the Bretons.”
“King of the Who?”
“The Bretons!”
“Who are the Bretons?”
“Well, we all are. We’re all Bretons and I am your high king.”
“I didn’t know we had a high king. I thought we were fiefdoms.”
“Now you do.”
“Yeah well, I didn’t vote you.“
I like breton they make great jack of all trades battle mages, lore wise they do get the short end of the stick since ESO imo.
They're mermen. Not the aquatic kind.
I been saying that for....my God, decades now lol.
"Half-elves, half-man"
Nords: "confused noises"
Thalmor: REEEEEEEEEE
To be honest, many Nords would also go REEEEE as well 😅
@@thalmoragent9344 the confused noises are REEEs mixed with the noise of nords puking st the thought of elf human sex
@@thalmoragent9344 cressius out in solstheim making new brettons lol
@@Angelo-nd4lg
Who's Cressius?
@@thalmoragent9344 the imperial in the ebony mine in rsvenrock
Bretons are also a real ethnicity in France, who hail from Brittany. Merlin is supposed to have been born there, and Lancelot was the son of King Ban, which is where modern Mt St Michel is. So the whole "magical lifestyle" does work well.
High Rock has the potential to be the most stunning ES game yet.
3:25 I like to think of it working like the human-Neanderthal interbreeding. It doesn't matter how many generations pass, we will always have those genes, and they are always passed as long as they are useful.
Two videos? Truly, Auriel blesses us all this day.
Indeed he does. May Auriel guide you, my Elven friend
Shors bones we've got some pointy ear elves
@@TheFeltmeister
*"Indeed, we are... what exactly are you Nords going to do about it? We're simply having a chat."* 🤔
@@thalmoragent9344 why are you acting like your residing quotes for 🤣🤣
@@thalmoragent9344 " see let me do it too "
One thing I think is really interesting about Breton ‘mages’ is the way is presents their magic systems.
The main magic system in Tamriel is the Elven one where magic is drawn from Atherius and is very intellectual.
Whereas the Breton witches and Reach-folk embody a Druid-like system where power is drawn from nature and Mundus itself. If they do go to High Rock for ES6 it would be cool to have these 2 different magic systems in play and could alter gameplay too with one using traditional magika and the other using potions or consumable items to cast which is about taking power from the world.
Basically the exploration of magic has always been the Elven style in ES but they could do a more Man side of things with spells coming from parts of Mundus.
The ancient Druids were legal authorities (judges), adjudicators (lawyers), lorekeepers (historians), medical professionals, and political advisors, as well as religious leaders. And they had to memorize all the lore, law, and medicine since none of it was ever written down. Celts weren't illiterate; the Greeks founded Massallia (Marseille) and spread literacy to the Gauls about 500BC. The druids memorized the information because what was written could be destroyed or altered. Druids only became associated with magic, other than the fact that medical and religious knowledge were often seen as uncanny, long after they had been destroyed and their lore lost - about 750 CE, when they were cast as sorcery-using opponents of Christianity. The "neo-druids " know nothing about real druids.
@@pedigreeann sincerely thank you for the history lesson I did not know that. However, I did mean Druid in the fantasy-style meaning of Druid like WOW, DnD etc which I’m sure you also realised but I don’t have a better name for the style of earth magic, if you have one let me know!
@@andykegs5584 the thing is druidism is the practice of earthly magic. Natural magics and such, so the name would be druid. Think of avatar the last Airbender. By Celtic standards, everyone who controls elements is actually a druid.
My favorite interaction with the reachmen is in the markharth dlc for eso. They really feel properly Celtic. Especially in the quest where you have to unite to feuding tribes in marriage or by other means. Really hoping I get to explore more of their culture in a future game.
I said this in a reply but I'm putting it as a standalone comment as well:
I read something a while ago on Reddit where someone was saying the Bretons are their favourite race because they're really in to Arthuriana and aside from the surface level medieval Celtic similarities, thematically both the Bretons and King Arthur and co. share this theme of reconciliation with two previously opposing cultures or ideologies. The Bretons reconciling both their human side and their elven side and combining the best of both, King Arthur doing that with the Romanized, Catholic cultural elements of Albion and the Celtic, pagan elements that were still somewhat culturally present at the time the stories are set in, but dying out. His marriage to Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar, an old Fae queen/goddess of sovereignty and then land) can be said to symbolise his marriage and surface to the Goddess, while himself being a Christian man (which also plays in to ideas about balance and harmony between the divine masculine and divine feminine). The Lady of the Lake also plays this role too in versions where she's not evil. The 'civilized' culture of Roman Catholic kings and priests and the wild, nature-centric culture of Celtic druids and priestesses. Best of both worlds. Same with the Bretons and combining cultural and religious values of both the elves and humans by their very existence as a race.
How are Bretons super short if they have elven blood? It doesn’t make sense to me since the Elves are really tall so shouldn’t the half-blood Bretons be like tall humans?
wood elves are the shortest race in the game and dark elves are also short.
If I remember correctly the Breton's were the tallest or among the tallest in the early games (Daggerfall) because of the interbreeding.
Female Wood Elves are as tall as the average human man. Bretons are actually shorter as a whole.
@@90skidcultist no they are about avarage human woman at best.
They are the same height as Imperials, are they not? Average.
The Bretons are my favorite for their lore, culture, and atmosphere. The whole medieval knight/ranger, castles and kingdoms, will always be my favorite type of history and fantasy. It feels so much adventurous to have a familiar and sturdy foundation like that and then exploring other crazy environments like Morrowind or Valenwood. It stills has recognizable and more easily understandable vibes to explore other near realistic environments like the Scandinavian Skyrim or Roman Cyrodiil. All and all, it feels best to me, High Rock and the Bretons. Classic heroes remaining untangled and above the rest of the wackiness of Tamriel, only getting involved to play a part in more grand events. Apparently Bethesda feels similar as the series pretty much begins with them and might actually end with them to.
Thank you so much for these podcasts, they have been my safe place mentally lately. No worries in the world, listening people talking about a lore they love and I too. So relaxing.
I always considered Bretons to be criminally underrated and overshadowed by more outlandish TES races like the Dunmer. But come on, they are half-elves, with innate knack for magic and entire culture build around court intrigues and civil wars fought with magic and sword, that's cool as hell
I hope in ES6 they give the Bretons a more Elveish look. Make them look like Lord of the Rings elves, Human with elveish features as a contast to the more alien look of ES elves.
The main question is whether the Bretons will stay loyal to the Empire in the coming war with the Thalmor. My opinion is that they are too politically divided to provide any sort of meaningful contribution in the next great war. Also, Thalmor agents would find it easy to sow confusion amongst the kingdoms.
The concordat terms were only damaging to nords and redguards so I think bretons are more likely to stay loyal. But with bretons I think it's more of a question of which kings stay loyal and which don't rather than saying the whole province.
I doubt breton would betray the empire they had history being thalmor glorfied second rate citizen
@@kingclint2382 I think it would honestly depend on whats more strategic for them. Being all politically divided and the like, If the empire lost Skyrim, I could easily see the Bretons seceding for their own benefit. It also depends on how the Thalmor treat them. Do they treat them better than they treat other humans because of their elven ancestry? Do they treat them worse because of their mixed blood? If the Thalmor were smart, they'd try and get the Man-Merri to side with them. However I don't see Bethesda making the Thalmor that savvy, they'll probably treat them like second class citizens like they supposedly treat the Khajiit (according to Ri'saad, Thalmor aren't really well liked).
I personally hope we see some anti-imperial sentiment in High Rock if TESVI is set there, i kind of like the idea of having the 4th Era games be the breaking of the 3rd Empire (though i don't necessarily think that the Empire has to end or anything, it's just cool to see it struggling for it's provinces)
@@lazilycatharticone4191 But the Thalmor are snappy dressers. [grin]
I think the "Racial Philogeny" (or however you spell it) book doesn't contradict the Breton origin. Let's say you have two mixed race couples. In one the woman is human, in the other an elf. Their children would be 90% elf and 10% human and the other way around. Now, if the children grow up and have a child, the child will take 90% of the mother's mixed blood and 10% of the father's. Let's say the mother was mostly elven. Then the child ends up getting 81% of their blood from their mother's elven side, 9% from her human side, 9% from father's human side and 1% from his elven side, resulting in being 82% elf 18% human. Scale that up and add more generations and you end up with a race that's about 50/50 human and elf. If there are more pure humans among the ancestors we just end up with a different percentage, like 70/30 for example
Didn’t know elves contributed 21 pairs of chromosomes in mixed race couples
Cope lore is fine just try not to sell it to me
Look, lets not beat around the bush here. Bethesda back in the 90's was just afraid to make a game that didn't have any stereotypical white villagers in it, simple as that.
The Bretons as they stand then are an outdated relic of a past era and badly need to be revamped for TES6. Make them properly half elven. Keep the Arthurian culture stuff but mix High Elf culture in with it as well to make something more fun and unique.
@@zixx844 I'm not arguing with that. Just saying that the book explaining the lack of mixed races doesn't work with generations of interbreeding, so the existence of Bretons doesn't clash with it
The book confirms Bretons, if anything. It says a child will be the mother's race, with possible traces of the father's race. Thus male elf + female human, no matter how many generations = human offspring. Thus, we got magically adept humans with high cheekbones and occasional tips to the ears.
Bretons are my favorite race in the game! Everything about them is cool to me, especially the Reachmen.
Easily one of if not my favourite race in the elder scrolls due to their lore
What lore, I'm kinda kidding it's just a joke because they have the second least amount of lore right behind the argonians
Same.
Same
@@adamhelsing9572 they do need more love in terms of lore but what little there is I love
And the magic resistance is a nice perk
I love how Skyrim is ten years old yet we can still sit down and talk about it for a straight hour, thanks for everything you do FudgeMuppets
Discussion is about The Elder Scolls not Skyrim alone, which is arguably quite shallow when compared to Morrowind, Oblivion or even ESO.
a lot of this lore is way older than 10 years
Random thought in regards to Bretons losing the elf, arguably the more "magical" features.
I wonder if it's kind of tied to the birth signs being weaker and (possibly) the Towers are falling one by one and the spokes on the wheel are breaking, that all magic is losing its potency as the world/Lorkhan's Heart grows older. Just throwin that out there
The more towers fall, the closer the world will be to Dawn era-like state thus myths and magic will be more relevant. Heart of Lorkhan is just a VERY powerful magical artifact, but the source of magic is Aetherius
The other night I was having an identity crisis as I always do about weather I’d be a nord or Breton. Chose Breton and wanted to hear the podcast on them but it didn’t exist. Now it does and I am happy and satisfied lol.
Daggerfall Covenant is easily my favorite faction in ESO High King Emeric is a GIGA Chad like no other and his alliance actually made a great deal of sense to the fact that I would love to see if you can make High Rock break away from the Empire in Elder Scrolls 6 and reform the Covenant against the Dominion
Emeric is one of the few base game characters who feel like real people. I'd love to see more of him, pity they made most of the High Rock in base game, it would be much more diverse if they gave it the same attention they give to DLC zones
I agree fully. Imho, it would be great, if they made it more like eso (faction wise) - it would bring more narative opportunities for the setting, not just the usual "the emlire needs you to beat the shit of a problem we kinda created"
my favorite fan thing people do is give bretons pointed ears. Idk why but I just love it. really sets them apart from the other human races.
Breton here! 😂 Always do the sword and spell combo. Range and close up fighting is lovely
41:10 this reminds me of the escape from Cinda mine quest where after completion of that quest you get the armour of the old gods which got me thinking maybe these gods and the obscure gods in high rock have some connection to each other?
It’s about time, my favorite race to use in game
Me too. I feel like if I existed in Tamriel I’d totally be a Breton.
@@Etticos. I just hope ES 6 adds more to their lore
@@Etticos. Same, because I’m short like one.
@@styx8975
Well, if you're short, you could be a Bosmer as well 😅
@@thalmoragent9344 True, then I’d also have a very strong reason to hate the Altmer you murderous b*stards.
The idea of Bretons doing good deeds for the sake of a reputation is really pretty fun. I can't wait to see these guys up close.
32:00 good joke and too true I live rpimg as a Breton looking to make a name for himself but they aren't fleshed out so it's hard to tie them to a legitimate lore. Unlike my orc which is the chieftains younger brother who left after his father lost in combat for he didn't wish to fight his brother so now I wonder nirn to bring honor to malakath
"Should we just prosper?" I love it.
Well I know what the main plot will be: Imagine southern Hammerfell is invaded by the Thalmor, Settlements are conquered or razed. As always you start as a prisoner within an abandoned underground prison that was abandoned because of the war. You free yourself and get to the surface. Later you meet up with some warrior guy, a redguard, maybe an alik'r or something like that. He hails from the south, fought against the Thalmor and lost, accompanied by a breton witch and some other people. And now he sends you down there to stop the Thalmor and retake the land. He will have inspirational speeches like "Another settlement needs your help, I'll mark it on your map." I think that would be the perfect plot.
You had me, loving the idea and then you had to go and betray me like that at the end xP
If any NPC other than the one in fallout says that shit says “Another settlement needs your help, I’ll mark your map” I’m gonna kick Todd Howard in the dick.
Great podcast as always, guys. Now onto the Altmer video.
Congrats on 1 million subs! I love you guys and your channel has gotten me through good times and bad, cheers lads🥂
So if you do a punnet square for Bretons being Bb, then one fourth of all the breton kids will have no eleven phenotypes with half of then being Bb and 1/4th being BB, a 'pure' elf.
Bretons aren't specifically my favorite or anything, but i appreciate the vanilla medieval european fantasy stuff they bring to the Elder Scrolls, it contrasts nicely with the out there stuff like Dunmer and Khajiiti culture while also being pretty cool on it's own
You must like how High King Emeric is voice acted by you though.
Whenever Drew says "for sure," I think he's saying "for Shor"
I always play as a Breton. Except once I was a Nord. But I always play as a Breton. Except that one time.
31:30 Emeric is like the Mr. House of Elder Scrolls, he is a savvy player of the great game, he manages 'the calculus of power' as Mr. House puts it but also has force of his own as he beat up the Reach-Emperor. He is also voiced by a great actor, Bill Nighy, Mr. House was voiced by René Auberjonois (rip).
39:45 I had a moment that unintentionally illustrated this really well on my current Skyrim playthrough. I was in the temple of Talos in Windhelm, and after talking to the priestess she told me to go with Arkay's blessing. Probably a scripting oversight, but it could also be illustrative of the religious conflict in Skyrim at the time. Even a Nordic priestess of Talos in the seat of Stormcloak power still respects the Eight.
*"Ah, the Bretons, the Man-Mer. Perhaps a few of them with greater Elven Ancestry and traits would be interested in joining the Aldmeri Dominion, to help stabilize High Rock under more Elven principles, as it was under Direnni rule. I'll attempt to persuade my fellow Thalmor colleagues to accept those of Aldmeri blood more often, and perhaps in this respect, we can forge a new Aldmeris."*
- A message to my Aldmeri Kin: We should be banding together with our Elven cousins who wish to join us, something Queen Ayrenn would surely want, not harming them like some of my fellow Thalmor do to Bosmer in Valenwood. Only united can we hope to topple the dastardly Empire of Man
13:50
(Also, to respond to Michael, it's quite interesting how the Falmer simply let the Nedes live in peace among them in Skyrim, perhaps not really wanting to enslave or war with them, unlike the Atmorans who kept raiding/invading even before Ysgramor ever arrived. Plus, with the early Nedes and Reachmen having Daedra Worshipping stuff, and since we know the Atmorans also had dealings with Hermaeus Mora (the Woodland man, is what they called him), maybe that's why the Snow Elves suddenly descended upon Saarthal that night, rooting out Daedra worshipping, Dragon Cult having, warlike Atmorans
Breton are lesser, it is what it is. Cant help them being tainted, they arent welcome here.
I doubt your colleagues will be convinced, even other elves are *impure* for them and moreover Bretons are mixed with souls of men, I doubt they'd want any part of Lorkhan's lesser souls in their team.
@@jonathansoko1085
*"Perhaps, but we shouldn't abandon those of proper Elven heritage. If they retain more Elven traits, we should give them a chance to ally with us, and we can also gain support from the Direnni at Adamantine Tower while we're at it."*
A stormcloak breton makes more sense than a thalmor breton
that hour seemed like 5 minutes... I just love this stuff
Ikr! Me too
The Need/Direni story is super reminiscent of the Norman conquest and English history I just realized, and considering the origin of the term Breton it probably ain't a coincidence
ohh shit, gonna be saving this one for monday
I have always used bretons for my magicka based characters because their racials are just so strong.
I always thought it was wierd that altmer had a natural weakness to magicka damage, yet bretons have a resistance to it... from breeding with aldmer? How does that happen?
I’d ague it came from the Nedic side. The aldmer may be more gifted magically, but that fine tuning may be easier to mess up as a result. The nedic side might be acting as a reinforcement of sorts to that magical damage.
The comparison that comes to mind is that between the AR-15 and the AK-47. The AR may be the ‘better’ rifle with better accuracy and range, but it needs cleaning and other maintenance pretty often. The AK on the other hand is famous for being able to go through hell and still fire properly.
"I think yours is smaller..."
-Michael
42:06
Whenever I do an Orc Build they are quite sexy same for Argonion:)
Anyway one of my current playthroughs I intend on achieving essentially 100% Magic Resistance with a Breton.
Another fudgemupet podcast, another smile on my face
You guys are massive legends. I've been subbed for years and I've listened to HOURS of the podcast during the past few weeks at work. So cool you guys are still doing this and finding fresh topics/ takes everyday. You've illuminated the true beauty in the stories of the Elder Scrolls for me and given me such a deeper understanding into mythology/ theology, and worldbuilding writing of it. So thankful you guys are still going strong at it, congrats at how far you've come!! #ES6hypetrain
I love when Scott says the word "idea". Sounds like he's saying "eye deer". Anyway, I completely agree that the Bretons should be more like what they were shown to be in the Oblivion art. So much cooler than Ricki Gervais
Breton has always been my favorite race. Has nothing to do with lore. And nothing to do with Daggerfall being my first and favorite ES title. It's because I've always played a spellsword. And they make kick ass spellswords.
I never thought I would live to see FudgeMuppet talk about Breton lore finally lol
With enough time, they will explore every niche of TES, more so then our tiny brains can understand, they are on the way to achieve CHIM
I believe the reachmen deserve their own podcast
A noble Breton that's proficient in hedge magic fighting with an imperial: "we want... a shrubbery!"
It'd be great if you did an episode on the battle of red mountain specifically, or a video documenting some of the most prominent off screen wars in Tamriel's history.
"Who are the Bretons?"
"We all are. We are all Bretons, and I am your king."
Well I didn't vote for you.
@@Dragon_Lair you don't vote for kings
@@TheNN Then how did you become king then?
@@Dragon_Lair I have to wonder the same thing. I mean, if I went around saying I was the High King just because some moistened bink had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!
Love playing these podcasts while I make my breakfast and sip my morning coffee
I like the idea of Arthurian-Bretons!
Undoubtedly my favorite race of all elder scrolls games.
Why do I need a reason for everything? Mortals, mortals, mortals! Always needing a reason to do things. For example: people think light chases away the shadows! I prefer to think that without a few lights, there'd be no shadows to enjoy."
I never thought about this before, but it would be neat if you could take over some/one bandit squads/caves
I love that you put these on Apple podcasts thank you. I have a whole 60 some podcast catalogue that I can listen to at work which is so great. It was a mistake and a blessing to take a break from anything elder scrolls related so now I have a like 2 year long catalogue on fudge muppet videos to watch and all the podcasts 😩 👏
It actually depends on what genes are inherited/dominant vs recessive. Or whether they are passed down matrilineally or paternally. For instance what if the gene for magic was passed down primarily in women?
Maybe the pocket guide generalizes Bretons much the same way people do other nations, take the US for instance.
As far as the gods go, maybe you could have regional gods. Like if people live by the sea they all remember that one great sea god, or if by a river the god of the river, or if the village's primary means of production is wheat, a god of wheat/harvest. In the larger towns and cities you could have where they worship more of the mainstream gods due to imperial influence etc., but when you get in the more rural areas they still have some of the older gods. Or possibly even in the larger cities they still remember a couple regional gods, but out in the countryside away from imperial influence they still remember most of the old gods. Take Wayrest for instance, what if they have a temple to the river god?
Never stop making content
Honestly i really enjoy each race for different reasons but bretons are a very common go to in terms of actually playing the game as the basic magic resistance makes them one of if not the best race in every game
As for the dilution of elven blood in the Bretons, I always think of it like this: The Direnni kept their good-looking, Nedic serfs as a sort of a pass time, but mer actually reproduce at far slower rates than man. This would result in only a few manmer, who strictly aren't allowed to interbreed with Direnni (in order to preserve Direnni blood) living amongst a far larger population of Nedic suitors. Even if they wanted otherwise, I think most of them, statistically, would end up with Nedic partners.
Love the Bretons and dark elves
They're my favorite because of the evolution of the culture. It's got Druidic roots that are still there, but at the forefront is the Saxons. Or the English kingdoms prior to being united as England by Alfred. Kinda like a melding of Welsh and English into just one thing.
This was a great podcast honestly wish it was longer lol great job fellas!
I've always made my character relate to myself personally, which I know isn't good for multiple playthroughs. I've always related the most to the Breton, being that my dad was of German descent aka. Nord / "Germanic tribes" and my mom being of Scottish descent aka. Breton / "Celtic" which brings me to being Breton.
As for the Reachmen, I believe they're their own race in my canon. I believe they're offspring of Nede and Orsimer (pre-change). I know someone could argue that the Reachmen are just a sub-culture of the Breton, just like the Imperials have Nibenese / Colovian (Roman / Medieval German). But atleast with the Imperials on both sides they share first names ending in “us”. Whereas the Breton’s have more French names as well as include a surname. The Reachmen straight up have no surnames, just a first and doesn’t sound French at all, more resembling Germanic tribal names possibly.
Even in the lore itself it states that the Reachmen are descendants of the Keptu clan of Nede, and that Breton and Reachmen both don’t see eachother as kin. But then again you could compare that to the Orsimer being Mer.
Mountains split them (bretons and Reachmen) one side has a relatively stable culture with little to no external influence the other is under constant invasions by larger cultures one after another (dwemer?, falmer, and nords) they can easily be the same people just very different history and therefore cultures
I think the Reachmen are supposed to be based on ancient Celts, given their names (Faolan, Trystan, Durcorach, etc.), their shared origins with the Bretons (hence the nickname "Witchmen of High Rock"), and their struggle against the Nords somewhat resembling the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain (hell, they even get pushed back into smaller and smaller pockets of Reachman culture in the South-West of the region, just like how the real-world Britons were forced back into Wales and Cornwall, where remnants of their old language and way of life can still be found). Meanwhile, the modern day Breton culture seems to take inspiration from Norman-controlled England, as well as the peninsula of Brittany (whose people share a demonym with the Elder Scrolls race). The mixture of human and elven culture seems to mirror the adoption of French cultural and linguistic characteristics found in both England and Brittany. Plus, you know, the whole aesthetic of Arthurian/Carolingian legend and feudal in-fighting they have reflect both British and French culture pretty well.
The reachmen have Irish and Welsh names.
I feel like I relate to the bretons just because I can make myself with their race easier than others...I like to sort of add myself in games if possible to escape reality
Same I’m English/German and Scottish.. but in my lore im a Breton with a nord father and a Breton mother but I feel as a nord and my character at a young age grows to hate his elvish dna and try’s really hard to prove that he’s a nord so he joins the stormcloaks to prove he is a nord and after being dragonborn a learning more about talos and that he might have been a Breton he kinda mellows out
I'm all for dedicated podcasts for Highrock & the Reachmen, bring them on 👍
My favorite race with Nord right next to it!
Breton is the best race though lol.
Best passives, versatile and makes for the best mage class. They also have the blood of both human and man so who doesn't want to be a hybrid? xD
I love how the Bretons can just shrug off magic passively "sure" you can slap your anti magic enchanted stickers on your armor but Bretons make good Spellsword without the filthy smugness of a simping elf lover
Breton dilution topic is almost the same thing that led to Neanderthal extinction.
My first character in Oblivion was a Breton purely based on the looks, but for the paladin style it is not a bad race. Extra magicka for more healing, and extra magic resistance are both quite useful.
Later in Skyrim i also played Breton, because in my story he was the same person from Oblivion. As a vampire that 200 hardly matters, and he got bored of the total luxury, and control of the Isles. So he went out for an adventure. Because of the total luxury his combat skills heavily reduced over the centuries. Though in Skyrim i made attempt for a Breton focused build. Abusing as many skills it has as possible, and it was surprisingly powerful. In fact it is the most gear independent build in the game.
Method is: Conjure ally for tanking purposes, conjure a sword, and then use the conjured blade with one-handed skill to attack. For defense there are 2 styles. You can either go heavy armor+smithing, or go with alteration, and light. Former is better against warriors, because more armor from low level, and once atronach stone is taken mages are easy foes as well so this build is generally stronger. Latter is better against mages, because more health from restoration magic, and it also more gear independent, because you get armor from spells. Use the Atronach standing stone, and if stuff goes hard against mages use Breton racial. These 2 combined grants IMMUNITY to magic with the 100% spell absorbtion.
That Daggerfall Noble image gives me huge Kievan Rus vibes, and I kind of dig it for Bretons. Like, IRL Russia came out of the mix of locals Slavs, Norse invaders and cultural exchanges with Byzantium, bringing in Roman, Greek and indirectly Chinese influence. High Rock, likewise, has a long history of the very Vikingesque Nords and the Altmer, who have some definite Imperial China and Greek influences, battling for control of the province. As well as sea trade with the very Western Slavic Colovian Estates, and rule by the very VERY Roman Nibenese. Even Hammerfell could be used as a justification for the adoption of domes in their architecture. They're neighbors with a history of both war and trade, I'm sure at least some Bretons have been "Wow, cool domes" when visiting Hammerfell.
It'd also be just kind of unique. I've seen plenty of Fantasy French, a decent amount of Fantasy Celts and sometimes Fantasy Russians. But never a mix of all three. And that'd just be cool. It's maybe a bit of a longshot, but ESO does have a Breton named Dimitri, which is the French from of the Russian Dmitry via Church Slavic, so maybe. Here's hoping anyway. I do like the Bretons, but they really could use a little love with lore and cultural influences to make them less Generic French Fantasy Dudes.
Bretons would be blessed beyond imagining to have the social mobility the modern Western world has, so the point that it should be taken as relative to the ES universe matters quite a bit.
It definitely wouldn't make much sense for the Bretons to look very Elven at all by the time of the Third Era if we are talking about real world genetics, but Elder Scrolls ancestry works differently.
Love me some Fudge podcast for during chores
Fun Fact: this is a theory as to why neanderthals went extinct, and it links to the human/elf feature thing.
Lemme explain. So basically humans were far more common than neanderthals But, human women at the time saw neanderthals, wider, more muscular men, and wished to have children with them instead of human men, but then human men got stuck with the "manlier" neanderthal women, so in both cases genes were mixed between them. this lead, due to the higher populations of humans, to neanderthals the children being half human half neanderthal.
Over time they bred together leading to "purebred" neanderthals becoming extinct. Most modern humans that have non sub-saharan African lineage have 1-4% genetics which came from neanderthals!
features like blue eyes, red hair, and thicker body hair is supposedly Neanderthal based.
I know this isn't really that related but this really made me think of humans/neanderthals. i don't know how many of you will read this, but i think its really cool
I'm still catching up on the podcast, but if you guys see this, please keep it up! I love the podcast and i hope you guys never run out of things to talk about!
I think it would be cool if there was a cult to Ius somewhere in the backcountry of Highrock that was just a small community of Khajiit and Bosmer that live in harmony with a pack of various animals....maybe even through in a Wombat just for the hell of it.
Nice even more knowledge to stuff at my head
You know if rapiers were ever introduced into the universe of the Elder Scrolls, I could see the Bretons being the creators of them. They've got that high fantasy elegant feel to them, so a weapon of high elegance would suit them. Probably be something in the hands of knights and nobility. Also, high quality rapiers made of Moonstone in an Elven style by personal master Breton blacksmiths sounds awesome.
Imagine becoming nobility to a king in Highrock, you're gifted a sizeable, well stocked home, complete with your own personal Master Blacksmith who could forge you a Rapier made of Moonstone, Glass, or Adamantium as a symbol of your status throughout that kingdom? As well your own personal knights to guard your assets while you're away.
Of course introducing rapiers would require Bethesda to introduce a better system of combat as you cant really just flail about a rapier about like you would a short-sword. Maybe a more refined style of swordplay? Not necessarily combos, I think that would take away from the Elder Scrolls charm, but maybe a more realistic approach to combat, visually. (Not necessarily Kingdom Come Deliverance's Swordplay). Parrying and thrusting should be added to the combat arsenal as well. It could work like a timed block, but with sword clashes. If an enemy swings a sword at you and you've have a lighter sword/faster swing speed, you could deflect it with your blade. Properly timed defections could see the player (or opponent) avoid all damage. If you counter with a power attack instead (like with Fallout4), you could see a counter attack instead of a parry. Also finishers would still be available when an opponent is near death, like in Fallout4. I could also imagine duels of honor between knights.
I'm aware that there are some mods that do things similar, however I think Bethesda could benefit from taking inspiration from some of them and make it their own.
For a Elder Scrolls fan, these podcasts are so good 🍻
I wonder if there are Bretons that have Snow Elf lineage or Dwarven ancestors? I mean I get most Bretons came from around the same area but I wonder if there is isolated “tribes” or civilizations of these other varieties of Half Elves out on islands and other unventured places.
i have my main sorceror in ESO and he's proudly a breton
I always preferred the Breton race as all the others have an origin story of some god, Daedra or other ancient force decided to create them. Bretons just happened. They're the race no god ever intended. It's a small thing I know but I find it interesting.
Me and my GF have spent ages redesigning the Bretons to be more interesting. The big thing we changed in their history was that the Durenni actively shared their blood with the humans instead of being overly protective.
In our lore, the Elves established a culture in High Rock of magical prowess where ones skill with the arcane was one of the most important factors as to where they stood in society. This meant that as a side effect, elven blood was actively sought after as it guaranteed children would have a greater role in society thanks to their increased magical potential. It allowed the Elves to effectively retain control while getting rid of the overt cast elements and solidifying Elven influence over the province.
The result was a society that was like an elvanised version of Victorian Europe. The Bretons are highly skilled battle mages and craftsmen, who's state of near endless internal conflict lead them to being in an arms race with eachother where they are constantly trying to create new magics and weapons to one up their rivals. Unlike the other races who's weapons and magics are well refined and well tested, the bretons often go into battle with spells or tools just as likely to explode in their hands as they are to kill their enemies.
Huh, that's pretty cool, pretty dope you and your GF worked together on this.
So, in your headcannon, they showed the Nedes their own magical prowess, and decided to make the Cast System that way... yeah, that makes sense.
So, the Direnni rule and show the Nedes how to apply sciences and arcane powers to improve their lives. In return, the Nedes work more mundane tasks, and if a Direnni sees an attractive Nede, offers their child a better life with Elven blood, which comes with all the biological advantages, including, as you said, arcane prowess.
So instead of Direnni demanding to sleep with the Nedes by force, you and your GF sort of make it more applicable, as in, many Nedes actually DID want to breed with the Direnni, (although I imagine if some didn't, some may not have been given a choice).
The Direnni men would take multiple concubines, and perhaps if the occasional Direnni Woman didn't mind carrying a child with "lesser" Human blood, they'd take on a Nedic Male who would then care for the kid himself . (Since we know the Breton offspring weren't directly taken into the family of the Direnni they came from). Unless it was just a Male Direnni thing that the ladies didn't mind?
How did you guys go about that gender situation, actually? Maybe the Direnni ladies just didn't get pregnant, but just "rewarded" male Nedes who did noble things?
@@thalmoragent9344 We agreed that the Direnni men would have absolutely had multiple human concubines, giving their superior blood to those womens children as a reward for their families hard effort. However, Direnni women breeding with non-pure Elves was highly restricted and saved for only the Nedic men who truely showed their loyalty.
However after thousands of years, eventually the Nedes and Derenni fully assimilated one another and became their own distinctive race, half elven, half human with some substantial variation between the various kingdoms. The different kingdoms do fight eachother over their differences in opinion. Some willing to adapt the more egalitarian 8 divines and integrate more with the humans, while the more isolated and conservative kingdoms wish to hold onto their more elven gods.
However, access to the Adamantine tower further complicated matters when scholars who used the site for trying to scribe into the past began to come up with a different set of beliefs. The idea that once upon a time, humans and elves were the same race. A mighty race ruled over by the two god rulers Apoeil and Zatami (the Bretony names my GF and I came up with). They ruled long before this current Kalpa cycle or the last 100 and the Elnofey empire was the greatest society creation had ever seen. Then through calamity and mishap the empire was destroyed, leading to the god Emperor and Empress (Auriel/Apoiel and Lorkhan/Zatami) to fight and the war between the gods we know of from the Elven creation story. By the time of the late 3rd era and 4th era, this depiction had come out on top in High Rock.
So to know what the Bretons are like in my GF and I's lore. Imagine if Victorian era Europe was Elvenised and they had a religion like something out of Warhammer.
@@zixx844 you can't just make up your own lore tho your just writing fan fiction at this point or your just stupid
@@zixx844
Huh, yeah I can totally see that. Quite impressive, I could totally take much of this as my own Headcanon, I appreciate it!
Although, to be clear, the Direnni already have a name for Lorkhan, as in "Sheor", and so I can't imagine the made up names of Auriel and Lorkhan would ever be drastically difficult to what they already know, but other than that, yeah, this would make the Lore a bit more cohesive and fleshed out, at least in terms of Origins and stuff.
You guys have any other hazy Lore you've expanded upon/made a better explanation for, or was this just mostly a Breton sort of situation?
@@TheFeltmeister
Well, most of it wouldn't be conflicting with the Lore, as it's already hazy as Fudgemuppet described, but I agree that the names for the Gods is a bit on the nose as Fanfiction, but yeah, overall, having it as headcannon and such is OK, so long as it doesn't conflict with the more concrete/established Lore
Reachmen are the reason why I love Bretons.