Lilmothiit are a vulpine-race, that we know
very little about in the Elder Scrolls universe because they have never appeared in any game. This vulpine-race has been mentioned maybe half a dozen times through all the lore of the Elder Scrolls universe, leaving the rest discussed about the lilmothiit to be majorly speculation.
In additional to the reptilian Argonians, who are today Black Marsh's most visible denizen, there were ... a tribe who may have been related to the Khajiit of Elsweyr, the vulpine Lilmothiit.
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crMeyer of DeviantArt
The southern coastal regions, not surprisingly, were the realms of the Lilmothiit, though they were a nomadic group and left few enduring signs of their existence that were not covered up by later civilizations... The worst of the dungeons was constructed in the following era by Potentate Versidue-Shaie on the ruins of the Lilmothiit community called Blackrose.
They are said to be related to the Khajiit, though I am not sure this is true (although it does seem supported by their name: from what some of my Khajiiti allies have told me, Lilmothiit translates to "one who is from Lilmoth" in Ta'agra.
Blackrose is the only confirmed region of Blackmarsh that the Lilmothiit are known to have settled, but even the region of Lilmoth has only been suggested to been settled by the Lilmothiit. The southern coastal region of Blackmarsh once was their territory, and they left few endearing signs of their existence so who knows how wide their territory actually was at one point. Soulrest, Blackrose and Lilmoth are the only areas of the southern coastal region that were settled into cities by other races to last through at least the next two ages.
There is practically no known information on the culture of the Lilmothiit other than they were nomadic and primitive (tribal). We know nothing of their understanding of the aedra/deadra, their way of life, their social structures or their economic practices. Nothing is even known about their technology and how they traveled through Black Marsh over land and water. For whatever reason they only inhabited the coastal regions though.
The Knahaten Flu is believed to be the reason why the Lilmothiit race is not ever seen. The flu is responsible for wiping out basically anything of non-argonian stock, most notably the only human race to have settled in Black Marsh, the Kothringi.
For over forty years, it held the Province in its grip, decimating entire cultures (notably, the Kothringi) and driving outsiders from the land.
The flu started in 2E 560, and Elder Scrolls Online begins in 2E 582 so the flu has been around for 22-25 years at this point, and still has more than
fifteen years left in its reign. Starting in Stormhold, the flu spread south until its deadly grip engulfed the entirety of Black Marsh. One scholar does make a bold statement about the affect of the Knahaten Flu on the Lilmothiit:
, “Ah, the late, lamented, and now lost Lilmothiit! By all accounts, the entire race did succumb to the terrible Knahaten Flu, and we shall never now speak to a living member of the Fox-Folk.
With the flu still active, and much of Black Marsh being impassable due to the terrain, a scholar making an unverified claim of unexplored territory seems discrediting at the very least. Whether or not the Lilmothiit still exists is unknown, and it is hinted at that the Lilmothiit have possibly left Tamriel. This is the only source I cannot verify as this reference is credited to
An Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal City, which I do not own a copy of.
The fate of the Lilmothiit is unknown other than the Knahaten Flu to having a devastating impact on their population. The Lilmothiit are known to be nomadic and because they have only habited the coastal regions of Black Marsh, it can be speculated that populations exists on islands beyond Tamriel borders. If the all the tribes on Tamriel really did succumb to the Flu, or if some fled from Tamriel due to the hostile conditions of Black Marsh can be debated.
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crMeyer of DeviantArt