I found a Tsaesci

Forvet

I don't know if this has been reported yet, but I have found proof that the Tsaesci were actual snake-men... rather than... snake-like humans. I was doing some Delving with a friend in Pulk when - after killing the Delve boss - we were exploring the area and found a jewelry box beside a beast-folk-like skeleton. This being morrowind, my friend curiously asked why an Argonian would be buried with such honors, a full Casket with a jewelry box when... Argonians would be slaves.

So, we took a closer look. I first found the "Crest" odd as we have yet to see a hair style that looks like it for the Argonians. Then? My friend flipped out and said it had vampire fangs. It was at that point I realized that the 'crest' was not a crest, but rather -- it was the support for a serpentine HOOD. Like a snake's! While we cannot see the bottom half of the body, it is a normal sized casket and I doubt anyone would bury a Lamia even if they could fit the entire body into the Casket.

This leaves me with a single possibility. I have found the honorably buried skeleton of a Tsaesci in Morrowind.






Please, Discuss.

NyassaV

Mmmm... Bit of a stretch... Argonians can look like this monster

Forvet

You proposed an interesting statement and while the picture is tempting to take a face value I wanted to dig in and look at the game to see if what you said had merit. So while I worked today my friend who helped find this discovery went searching and found an Argonian Skeleton in game.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1293120442

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1293120463

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1293120488

Now you will notice that there is a distinct difference in not only the shape of the skull, but also the lack of any sort of skeletal crest. It also retains it's jaw when compared to the first skeleton I showed. While this could be considered simply degredation of the skeleton... the skeleton example I used has literally been dumped off a cliff. I propose that the skeleton I found in a Casket had a -hinged- jaw, like a snake and when the flesh degraded enough the lower jaw simply fell off because it wasn't locked into the jaw.

My next piece of evidence is the Argonian Target Skeleton the devs have helpfully added for us.



Now, I am forced to point out the major differences in the eye socket size and location... the shape of the nostrils as well as the positioning of the nostrils. If you look at the proposed Tsaesci skeleton it has forward facing nostrils on an extremely narrow "Muzzle". An Argonian's nose/bridge/muzzle is incredibly wide and I would say the nostrils angle outwards slightly. Furthermore if you look at the back of the Argonian skeleton shown in the steam links above you can see that the skull is rounded with a small round temple... the Tsaesci Skeleton is angular with extra support bones all over it.

Now with an Argonian skeleton in the game already and scattered all over the game willy nilly I find it hard to believe that the devs would go out of their way to put a -custom- Argonian skeleton in a Casket hidden away in the back of a random delve where few would ever deem to search (Were it not for me having to run into the kitchen and look for some place to hide my character near the delve boss.). I want to say that all of this lends credence to the idea that this is infact a Tscaesci skeleton put into the game as either an easter egg or that I somehow missed a piece of lore somewhere in this Delve that explained this.



Your thoughts, my fellow lore-philes of ESO?

MythicEmperor

I honestly doubt it. It isn’t unheard of for Argonians to reach positions of status, especially (and ironically) within House Telvanni lands. To quote The Affairs of Wizards:

“For example, since the Telvanni vigorously defend the right to own slaves, and since they keep many Argonian and Khajiit as slaves, many Argonians and Khajiit assume they would not be accepted for service with House Telvanni.”

“But adventurers of all races and abilities who apply to Telvanni Mouths at the Telvanni Council Hall in Sadrith Mora for acceptance in House Telvanni can expect a cordial welcome.”

ESO’s Telvanni questline even features an Argonian s’wit rising through the ranks. So yes, it can be an Argonian. Perhaps there are other models of the same type that just haven’t been noticed yet.

WhiteCoatSyndrome

Somebody did a furniture preview video and it looks like it's a Lamia skull. Here, scroll down to 'Shimmer – Dragon Bones DLC Furniture Preview', it's at about 5:30 after the Khajiit skull. That means you were right about the hood, but doesn't explain why someone would want to bury a Lamia like that.

RaddlemanNumber7

I've been looking at this. Very disappointed it turns out to be an ancient lamia skull and not a tsaesci.

The ancient skull doesn't match up well with a modern Lamia. I guess Lamias have changed a lot since ancient times.



I considered whether it might be a hint at the population of Vvardenfell before the Chimer arrived. Whoever they were, it seems that the Chimer/Dunmer have erased them from history as well as from existence. But, no.

The jumble of stuff around this ancient Lamia's grave is the clincher for me - an Imperial grave marker, a very new wooden coffin, a modern Dunmer jewellery box and scent diffuser. I think it just points to this being another example of posing skeletons for fun.

SilverIce58

I'm not sure about Tsaesci being buried in Morrowind, but Cyrodiil is a safer bet (altho I guess those bodies could have been sent back to Akavir, but the bodies could've been lost on the way out) since some of Tamriel's emperors have been Tsaesci in the first half of the 2nd Era.

SirGabenOfSteamia

Lamia. Their skull was on the PTS as a furnishing item

dodgehopper_ESO

Supposedly the serpentine Tsaesci moved about on a snake tail and had the upper body of a man. I'm trying to think of the lorebook that talks about this, but I think it has to do with a duel between Saverien Chorak and possibly Reman. I forget. I know he ends up causing the end of the Reman line though. I'm sure someone out there remembers the duel book I'm talking about.

WhiteCoatSyndrome

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

Supposedly the serpentine Tsaesci moved about on a snake tail and had the upper body of a man. I'm trying to think of the lorebook that talks about this, but I think it has to do with a duel between Saverien Chorak and possibly Reman. I forget. I know he ends up causing the end of the Reman line though. I'm sure someone out there remembers the duel book I'm talking about.

It' in the 'Last Year of the First Era' series.

LMar

That book is also kinda "historical fiction" within the game so take care of what you believe!

WhiteCoatSyndrome

LMar wrote: »

That book is also kinda "historical fiction" within the game so take care of what you believe!

Well-researched historical fiction so take care what you dismiss.

Attrebus:
One thing that has intrigued me are the descriptions given of the Tsaeci and the Maormer. Since I have not met these elusive races in person, how accurate are the descriptions? In other words, have you met a member of these races and that's where the descriptions came from, or did you make an educated guess based on what you've heard?

[snip]

Carlovac Townway:
There are very old warriors, survivors of Uriel V's ill-fated invasion, and they told me what they saw. I stand by my descriptions that the Akavir Potentates were serpentine, not only in temperament, but in physical appearance. Even if I did not have witnesses, there are too many descriptions of them as snakes to assume that all writers used the same metaphor.

Jitterbug

Any confirmation anywhere that Tsaesci are not actually just normal humanoids with a really bad rap?

LMar

WhiteCoatSyndrome wrote: »

LMar wrote: »

That book is also kinda "historical fiction" within the game so take care of what you believe!

Well-researched historical fiction so take care what you dismiss.

Attrebus:
One thing that has intrigued me are the descriptions given of the Tsaeci and the Maormer. Since I have not met these elusive races in person, how accurate are the descriptions? In other words, have you met a member of these races and that's where the descriptions came from, or did you make an educated guess based on what you've heard?

[snip]

Carlovac Townway:
There are very old warriors, survivors of Uriel V's ill-fated invasion, and they told me what they saw. I stand by my descriptions that the Akavir Potentates were serpentine, not only in temperament, but in physical appearance. Even if I did not have witnesses, there are too many descriptions of them as snakes to assume that all writers used the same metaphor.

Hehe. Hadn't seen that particular interview before. Cheers

Araanim

Jitterbug wrote: »

Any confirmation anywhere that Tsaesci are not actually just normal humanoids with a really bad rap?

I think that's the most likely scenario. The historical books CLEARLY specify that it was Tsaesci that invaded Cyrodiil and were defeated at Pale Pass, not just "Akaviri":

"In the 2703rd year of the First Era, Tamriel first faced an organized armada of Tsaesci, the so-called "Akaviri Snakemen", and met the challenge with a resounding victory in the Pale Pass of Skyrim. The Emperor Reman was so impressed by the exotic weaponry and battle prowess of his defeated foe that he and his heirs allowed them to rise from prisoners to advisors of the second Empire of Tamriel. Eventually, they became, on the death of Emperor Reman III in the year 2920, the Potentates of Tamriel, and the defeated Akaviri ruled the land for over 400 years." --Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition/Other Lands

We MEET these soldiers as ghosts in Oblivion, and they are clearly not snakes, they are men. Now, this could easily be chalked up to Oblivion not being advanced enough to animate snake-men, but regardless we have to take this as canon. The Tsaesci that fought at Pale Pass were MEN, which means the Akaviri Potentates were MEN. I'd say that should put the "snake-men" controversy to rest.

Now, it is possible that they are a form of beast-folk that *mostly* looks human, which is fair, or that they are some sort of lycanthropes that turn into snakes, but I think the common conception of them as Lamia-like has to be false.

SilverIce58

Araanim wrote: »

Jitterbug wrote: »

Any confirmation anywhere that Tsaesci are not actually just normal humanoids with a really bad rap?

I think that's the most likely scenario. The historical books CLEARLY specify that it was Tsaesci that invaded Cyrodiil and were defeated at Pale Pass, not just "Akaviri":

"In the 2703rd year of the First Era, Tamriel first faced an organized armada of Tsaesci, the so-called "Akaviri Snakemen", and met the challenge with a resounding victory in the Pale Pass of Skyrim. The Emperor Reman was so impressed by the exotic weaponry and battle prowess of his defeated foe that he and his heirs allowed them to rise from prisoners to advisors of the second Empire of Tamriel. Eventually, they became, on the death of Emperor Reman III in the year 2920, the Potentates of Tamriel, and the defeated Akaviri ruled the land for over 400 years." --Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition/Other Lands

We MEET these soldiers as ghosts in Oblivion, and they are clearly not snakes, they are men. Now, this could easily be chalked up to Oblivion not being advanced enough to animate snake-men, but regardless we have to take this as canon. The Tsaesci that fought at Pale Pass were MEN, which means the Akaviri Potentates were MEN. I'd say that should put the "snake-men" controversy to rest.

Now, it is possible that they are a form of beast-folk that *mostly* looks human, which is fair, or that they are some sort of lycanthropes that turn into snakes, but I think the common conception of them as Lamia-like has to be false.

Don't forget that the Akaviri men assimilated (were eaten, whatever that means) with the Tsaesci, so that ghost could very well be just an Akaviri man. I dont have to take this as canon, and I wont. There's actually a Tsaesci living in Rimmen in the new chapter, so we'll definitely see.

RaddlemanNumber7

I prefer this description of Tsaesci from 2920, The Last Year of the First Era Book 1. It leaves little doubt that at least the high-ranking Tsaesci are serpent-like...

" one-on-one battle between two able warriors," said the Potentate, his scaly skin catching the sun as he rose. "Armed befitting their culture."
"Sounds good," said the Emperor and clapped his hands. "Let the sport commence!"
As soon as he saw the two warriors enter the arena to the roar of the crowd, Emperor Reman III remembered that he had agreed to this several months before and forgotten about it. One combatant was the Potentate's son, Savirien-Chorak, a glistening ivory-yellow eel, gripping his katana and wakizashi with his thin, deceptively weak looking arms. The other was the Emperor's son, Prince Juilek, in ebony armor with a savage Orcish helm, shield and longsword at his side.
"This will be fascinating to watch," hissed the Potentate, a wide grin across his narrow face. "I don't know if I've even seen a Cyrodiil fight an Akavir like this. Usually it's army against army. At last we can settle which philosophy is better -- to create armor to combat swords as your people do, or to create swords to combat armor as mine do."
No one in the crowd, aside from a few scattered Akaviri counselors and the Potentate himself wanted Savirien-Chorak to win, but there was a collective intake of breath at the sight of his graceful movements. His swords seemed to be a part of him, a tail coming from his arms to match the one behind him. It was a trick of counterbalance, allowing the young serpent man to roll up into a circle and spin into the center of the ring in offensive position. The Prince had to plod forward the less impressive traditional way.
As they sprang at each other, the crowd bellowed with delight. The Akaviri was like a moon in orbit around the Prince, effortlessly springing over his shoulder to attempt a blow from behind, but the Prince whirled around quickly to block with his shield. His counter-strike met only air as his foe fell flat to the ground and slithered between his legs, tripping him. The Prince fell to the ground with a resounding crash.
Metal and air melted together as Savirien-Chorak rained strike after strike upon the Prince, who blocked every one with his shield.
"We don't have shields in our culture," murmured Versidue-Shaie to the Emperor. "It seems strange to my boy, I imagine. In our country, if you don't want to get hit, you move out of the way."
When Savirien-Chorak was rearing back to begin another series of blinding attacks, the Prince kicked at his tail, sending him falling back momentarily. In an instant, he had rebounded, but the Prince was also back on his feet. The two circled one another, until the snake man spun forward, katana extended. The Prince saw his foe's plan, and blocked the katana with his longsword and the wakizashi with his shield. Its short punching blade impaled itself in the metal, and Savirien-Chorak was thrown off balance.
The Prince's longblade slashed across the Akavir's chest and the sudden, intense pain caused him to drop both his weapons. It [sic] a moment, it was over. Savirien-Chorak was prostate [sic] in the dust with the Prince's longsword at his throat.
"The game's over!" shouted the Emperor, barely heard over the applause from the stadium.
The Prince grinned and helped Savirien-Chorak up and over to a healer. The Emperor clapped his Potentate on the back, feeling relieved. He had not realized when the fight had begun how little chance he had given his son at victory.
"He will make a fine warrior," said Versidue-Shaie. "And a great emperor."
"Just remember," laughed the Emperor. "You Akaviri have a lot of showy moves, but if just one of our strikes comes through, it's all over for you."
"Oh, I'll remember that," nodded the Potentate.

Bruccius

I still believe what I've always believed. They are snake-men the same way the Khajiit are cat-men. They are humanoid with snake-like features.

This is supported through their armor we see in ESO, but also through a traditional Tsaesci face-mask we can find as treasure when stealing items.

Araanim

SilverIce58 wrote: »

Araanim wrote: »

Jitterbug wrote: »

Any confirmation anywhere that Tsaesci are not actually just normal humanoids with a really bad rap?

I think that's the most likely scenario. The historical books CLEARLY specify that it was Tsaesci that invaded Cyrodiil and were defeated at Pale Pass, not just "Akaviri":

"In the 2703rd year of the First Era, Tamriel first faced an organized armada of Tsaesci, the so-called "Akaviri Snakemen", and met the challenge with a resounding victory in the Pale Pass of Skyrim. The Emperor Reman was so impressed by the exotic weaponry and battle prowess of his defeated foe that he and his heirs allowed them to rise from prisoners to advisors of the second Empire of Tamriel. Eventually, they became, on the death of Emperor Reman III in the year 2920, the Potentates of Tamriel, and the defeated Akaviri ruled the land for over 400 years." --Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition/Other Lands

We MEET these soldiers as ghosts in Oblivion, and they are clearly not snakes, they are men. Now, this could easily be chalked up to Oblivion not being advanced enough to animate snake-men, but regardless we have to take this as canon. The Tsaesci that fought at Pale Pass were MEN, which means the Akaviri Potentates were MEN. I'd say that should put the "snake-men" controversy to rest.

Now, it is possible that they are a form of beast-folk that *mostly* looks human, which is fair, or that they are some sort of lycanthropes that turn into snakes, but I think the common conception of them as Lamia-like has to be false.

Don't forget that the Akaviri men assimilated (were eaten, whatever that means) with the Tsaesci, so that ghost could very well be just an Akaviri man. I dont have to take this as canon, and I wont. There's actually a Tsaesci living in Rimmen in the new chapter, so we'll definitely see.

But we ONLY see human ghosts in Pale Pass, and it is clearly stated that it was Tsaesci that fought there. We would have seen some evidence of snake-men somewhere. All of the lore points to the "snake-men" bit being false. They seen to go out of their way to keep all evidence as only hearsay and secondhand accounts.

Also, you'll accept ESO lore as canon over Oblivion? Lol.

SilverIce58

Araanim wrote: »

SilverIce58 wrote: »

Araanim wrote: »

Jitterbug wrote: »

Any confirmation anywhere that Tsaesci are not actually just normal humanoids with a really bad rap?

I think that's the most likely scenario. The historical books CLEARLY specify that it was Tsaesci that invaded Cyrodiil and were defeated at Pale Pass, not just "Akaviri":

"In the 2703rd year of the First Era, Tamriel first faced an organized armada of Tsaesci, the so-called "Akaviri Snakemen", and met the challenge with a resounding victory in the Pale Pass of Skyrim. The Emperor Reman was so impressed by the exotic weaponry and battle prowess of his defeated foe that he and his heirs allowed them to rise from prisoners to advisors of the second Empire of Tamriel. Eventually, they became, on the death of Emperor Reman III in the year 2920, the Potentates of Tamriel, and the defeated Akaviri ruled the land for over 400 years." --Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition/Other Lands

We MEET these soldiers as ghosts in Oblivion, and they are clearly not snakes, they are men. Now, this could easily be chalked up to Oblivion not being advanced enough to animate snake-men, but regardless we have to take this as canon. The Tsaesci that fought at Pale Pass were MEN, which means the Akaviri Potentates were MEN. I'd say that should put the "snake-men" controversy to rest.

Now, it is possible that they are a form of beast-folk that *mostly* looks human, which is fair, or that they are some sort of lycanthropes that turn into snakes, but I think the common conception of them as Lamia-like has to be false.

Don't forget that the Akaviri men assimilated (were eaten, whatever that means) with the Tsaesci, so that ghost could very well be just an Akaviri man. I dont have to take this as canon, and I wont. There's actually a Tsaesci living in Rimmen in the new chapter, so we'll definitely see.

But we ONLY see human ghosts in Pale Pass, and it is clearly stated that it was Tsaesci that fought there. We would have seen some evidence of snake-men somewhere. All of the lore points to the "snake-men" bit being false. They seen to go out of their way to keep all evidence as only hearsay and secondhand accounts.

Also, you'll accept ESO lore as canon over Oblivion? Lol.

Both are canon lore wtf. Do you think ESO isnt canon? Bc it definitely is.

Ajaxandriel

Araanim wrote: »

Also, you'll accept ESO lore as canon over Oblivion? Lol.

Just about this point that is often said

Oblivion lore is canon when you play Oblivion

ESO lore is canon when you play ESO

Scythe_Mercer

Ajaxandriel wrote: »

Araanim wrote: »

Also, you'll accept ESO lore as canon over Oblivion? Lol.

Just about this point that is often said

Oblivion lore is canon when you play Oblivion

ESO lore is canon when you play ESO

Oh no, I hope that doesn’t apply to Shadowkey, Battlespire and Redguard. Oh imagine the horror.

Claudman

@Araanim

Considering ESO has brought a lot of depth to cultural lore and even monster lore (opting to not make the monsters as mindless and comical as they were in Oblivion), I think it holds more validity than Oblivion...Especially since Oblivion came out in 2006 and ESO came out in 2014. Not only is ESO more recent, but it's very clear that the writers of ESO take the franchise waaaaay more seriously than that of Oblivion...As much as I love Oblivion, that game is rarely serious about the lore it delivers and the cartoony art style only worsens the impact said 'serious lore' could have.

I personally don't think the Tsaeci are snake-people, but it is also very possible what we're looking at a Yanti situation if TES still has a semblance of old D&D inspiration. I don't think we'll ever actually know and I don't care to know because I don't care about the Tsaeci. The Akaviri folk are rather boring, I care more about the people of Tamriel.

Araanim

I'm just saying, ESO has a tendency to completely ignore the established lore of the rest of the franchise. If you were to consider one truer than the other, I'm not sure you can really argue that ESO is truer than one of the main franchise games.

Regardless, my broader point is that the ghosts in Oblivion are the only time we legitimately see a Tsaesci, and it is human. Everything else is just hearsay. It is always possible that the Tsaesci army was composed of mostly men and all the commanders were snake-men, but I *think* the one in Oblivion IS the commander, isn't he?

Claudman

Araanim wrote: »

I'm just saying, ESO has a tendency to completely ignore the established lore of the rest of the franchise. If you were to consider one truer than the other, I'm not sure you can really argue that ESO is truer than one of the main franchise games.

Regardless, my broader point is that the ghosts in Oblivion are the only time we legitimately see a Tsaesci, and it is human. Everything else is just hearsay. It is always possible that the Tsaesci army was composed of mostly men and all the commanders were snake-men, but I *think* the one in Oblivion IS the commander, isn't he?

Oblivion and Skyrim also had the tendency to forget 'established lore'.

You have forgotten that Cyrodiil was supposed to be a jungle and Alduin was supposed to be intimidating/God-like. Skyrim was also supposed to be much colder than shown in the game, being a land covered entirely with snow, but as you can clearly see...That was changed. Oblivion also ignored the tension between the Nibenese and Colovian...Both games also pretty much did away with the lore of Daggerfall, Redguard, Shadowkey, Battlespire, etc.

ESO actually pays mind to Daggerfall, Redguard, Shadowkey, Battlespire, etc. and in ESO there is an actual cultural division between the Nibenese and Colovian instead of the differences just being in the architecture.

So which is REALLY the one who ignores "established lore"?


EDIT

For an even longer bonus list as to Skyrim and Oblivion's tendency 'to forget'...

-Where are the worshippers of Ebonarm? Where is the proof of Ebonarm worship after Daggerfall?
-Where are any of the Knight orders from Daggerfall?
-Why aren't Hernes, Vermai, Nocturnals and such mentions in Oblivion? The game where Daedra are the more prevelant? (Nocturnals are now known as 'Shrikes' for the sake of less confusion)
-Why is Shadow Magic not a thing at all in Oblivion or Skyrim?
-What happened to Nymphs? (I believe Nereids replace them in ESO)
-What happened to Lamia in Oblivion?
-Why are the Minotaurs feral and incapable of clan structures/making armor in Oblivion?
-Where are the Harpies in Oblivion?
-Why does Skyrim look so primitive compared to the rest of Tamriel?
-What ever happened to Mithril armor in Skyrim?
-Where are the Redguard cannons or any sort of cannons in Skyrim or Oblivion?
-Why aren't there any Dwemeri specters in Skyrim or Blackreach out of all places?

...And sooooo much more...

Amphithoe

If only it was Sun-in-Shadow...

ArchMikem

RaddlemanNumber7 wrote: »

I prefer this description of Tsaesci from 2920, The Last Year of the First Era Book 1. It leaves little doubt that at least the high-ranking Tsaesci are serpent-like...

" one-on-one battle between two able warriors," said the Potentate, his scaly skin catching the sun as he rose. "Armed befitting their culture."
"Sounds good," said the Emperor and clapped his hands. "Let the sport commence!"
As soon as he saw the two warriors enter the arena to the roar of the crowd, Emperor Reman III remembered that he had agreed to this several months before and forgotten about it. One combatant was the Potentate's son, Savirien-Chorak, a glistening ivory-yellow eel, gripping his katana and wakizashi with his thin, deceptively weak looking arms. The other was the Emperor's son, Prince Juilek, in ebony armor with a savage Orcish helm, shield and longsword at his side.
"This will be fascinating to watch," hissed the Potentate, a wide grin across his narrow face. "I don't know if I've even seen a Cyrodiil fight an Akavir like this. Usually it's army against army. At last we can settle which philosophy is better -- to create armor to combat swords as your people do, or to create swords to combat armor as mine do."
No one in the crowd, aside from a few scattered Akaviri counselors and the Potentate himself wanted Savirien-Chorak to win, but there was a collective intake of breath at the sight of his graceful movements. His swords seemed to be a part of him, a tail coming from his arms to match the one behind him. It was a trick of counterbalance, allowing the young serpent man to roll up into a circle and spin into the center of the ring in offensive position. The Prince had to plod forward the less impressive traditional way.
As they sprang at each other, the crowd bellowed with delight. The Akaviri was like a moon in orbit around the Prince, effortlessly springing over his shoulder to attempt a blow from behind, but the Prince whirled around quickly to block with his shield. His counter-strike met only air as his foe fell flat to the ground and slithered between his legs, tripping him. The Prince fell to the ground with a resounding crash.
Metal and air melted together as Savirien-Chorak rained strike after strike upon the Prince, who blocked every one with his shield.
"We don't have shields in our culture," murmured Versidue-Shaie to the Emperor. "It seems strange to my boy, I imagine. In our country, if you don't want to get hit, you move out of the way."
When Savirien-Chorak was rearing back to begin another series of blinding attacks, the Prince kicked at his tail, sending him falling back momentarily. In an instant, he had rebounded, but the Prince was also back on his feet. The two circled one another, until the snake man spun forward, katana extended. The Prince saw his foe's plan, and blocked the katana with his longsword and the wakizashi with his shield. Its short punching blade impaled itself in the metal, and Savirien-Chorak was thrown off balance.
The Prince's longblade slashed across the Akavir's chest and the sudden, intense pain caused him to drop both his weapons. It [sic] a moment, it was over. Savirien-Chorak was prostate [sic] in the dust with the Prince's longsword at his throat.
"The game's over!" shouted the Emperor, barely heard over the applause from the stadium.
The Prince grinned and helped Savirien-Chorak up and over to a healer. The Emperor clapped his Potentate on the back, feeling relieved. He had not realized when the fight had begun how little chance he had given his son at victory.
"He will make a fine warrior," said Versidue-Shaie. "And a great emperor."
"Just remember," laughed the Emperor. "You Akaviri have a lot of showy moves, but if just one of our strikes comes through, it's all over for you."
"Oh, I'll remember that," nodded the Potentate.

Thats more than enough for me to consider Humanoid torso with a Serpent tail to be the Canon Lore description.

LMar

RaddlemanNumber7 wrote: »

I prefer this description of Tsaesci from 2920, The Last Year of the First Era Book 1. It leaves little doubt that at least the high-ranking Tsaesci are serpent-like...

" one-on-one battle between two able warriors," said the Potentate, his scaly skin catching the sun as he rose. "Armed befitting their culture."
"Sounds good," said the Emperor and clapped his hands. "Let the sport commence!"
As soon as he saw the two warriors enter the arena to the roar of the crowd, Emperor Reman III remembered that he had agreed to this several months before and forgotten about it. One combatant was the Potentate's son, Savirien-Chorak, a glistening ivory-yellow eel, gripping his katana and wakizashi with his thin, deceptively weak looking arms. The other was the Emperor's son, Prince Juilek, in ebony armor with a savage Orcish helm, shield and longsword at his side.
"This will be fascinating to watch," hissed the Potentate, a wide grin across his narrow face. "I don't know if I've even seen a Cyrodiil fight an Akavir like this. Usually it's army against army. At last we can settle which philosophy is better -- to create armor to combat swords as your people do, or to create swords to combat armor as mine do."
No one in the crowd, aside from a few scattered Akaviri counselors and the Potentate himself wanted Savirien-Chorak to win, but there was a collective intake of breath at the sight of his graceful movements. His swords seemed to be a part of him, a tail coming from his arms to match the one behind him. It was a trick of counterbalance, allowing the young serpent man to roll up into a circle and spin into the center of the ring in offensive position. The Prince had to plod forward the less impressive traditional way.
As they sprang at each other, the crowd bellowed with delight. The Akaviri was like a moon in orbit around the Prince, effortlessly springing over his shoulder to attempt a blow from behind, but the Prince whirled around quickly to block with his shield. His counter-strike met only air as his foe fell flat to the ground and slithered between his legs, tripping him. The Prince fell to the ground with a resounding crash.
Metal and air melted together as Savirien-Chorak rained strike after strike upon the Prince, who blocked every one with his shield.
"We don't have shields in our culture," murmured Versidue-Shaie to the Emperor. "It seems strange to my boy, I imagine. In our country, if you don't want to get hit, you move out of the way."
When Savirien-Chorak was rearing back to begin another series of blinding attacks, the Prince kicked at his tail, sending him falling back momentarily. In an instant, he had rebounded, but the Prince was also back on his feet. The two circled one another, until the snake man spun forward, katana extended. The Prince saw his foe's plan, and blocked the katana with his longsword and the wakizashi with his shield. Its short punching blade impaled itself in the metal, and Savirien-Chorak was thrown off balance.
The Prince's longblade slashed across the Akavir's chest and the sudden, intense pain caused him to drop both his weapons. It [sic] a moment, it was over. Savirien-Chorak was prostate [sic] in the dust with the Prince's longsword at his throat.
"The game's over!" shouted the Emperor, barely heard over the applause from the stadium.
The Prince grinned and helped Savirien-Chorak up and over to a healer. The Emperor clapped his Potentate on the back, feeling relieved. He had not realized when the fight had begun how little chance he had given his son at victory.
"He will make a fine warrior," said Versidue-Shaie. "And a great emperor."
"Just remember," laughed the Emperor. "You Akaviri have a lot of showy moves, but if just one of our strikes comes through, it's all over for you."
"Oh, I'll remember that," nodded the Potentate.

That passage is from a (well researched) historical fiction book. So probably doesn't get everything right. I rather think that Tsaesci are golden, scaled and slender humanoids

Shadow_Akula

Since people are debating what a Tsaesci looks like in here, I’d like to add my theory, They can sometimes appear as lamia-like creatures yet since they devoured the humans of Akavir, perhaps they can shape-shift into human form, yet when in human form, scales remain (kinda how a human race in eso looks like when the dead-water skin is equipped).

We won’t know until we meet one either in Elsewyr (if ZoS decides to introduce them) or until a TES game decides to go beyond the borders of Tamriel and go to Akavir (personally I’d prefer Akavir to be a single player game so it can be larger that or at least in a chapter which takes place only after we have the entirety of Tamriel in ESO)

S.A.96

TelvanniWizard

KnightsMentor wrote: »

If only it was Sun-in-Shadow...

Awesome for you, sir.