Colovian vs Imperial vs Nibenese: What's the difference?

Savos_Saren

I was looking at housing item bounty sheets the other day and I noticed that there's a bounty sheet for Imperial male/female and another for Colovian male/female. From my understanding: the Colovians and Nibenese are both Imperials- just from different regions of Cyrodiil?

Can anyone elaborate? Also- if Imperials and Colovians are different races- wouldn't that open up an opportunity for racial expansion in ESO?

Aliyavana

racist person :P

Recremen

You are correct, Colovians and Nibenese are different groups under the larger umbrella of Imperial. Not sure why they have two different bounty sheets, but it's a great opportunity to make something up! Maybe the Imperial bounty sheet is for a subject whose origins within Cyrodiil are unknown, while the Colovian bounty sheet is for someone with well-known family ties to Anvil or Kvatch.

VaranisArano

Links: http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Nibenay , http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Colovia

Its complicated.

Nibenay is the eastern/central part of Cyrodiil, Colovia is the west (more or less). Both areas were settled by Cyro-Nords, but during the Alessian Reformation, the western portion of Cyrodiil resisted the Alessian priesthood and so became the autonomous Colovian Estates, leading to major cultural differences. Colovians tend to be austere and martial. Nibenese tend more towards merchants, philosophy, and magecraft.

So they are both Imperial, but I suspect its sort of like the way a native-born Dunmer can tell the difference between a native born Dunmer and a Outlander Dunmer n'wah.

I tend to think of them as somewhat similar to the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Obviously, one can only stretch the historical parallels so far in a video game, but the Colovians seem closer to the Roman Republic/Early Roman Empire ideal and the Nibenese seem closer to the Byzantines in inspiration.

Danikat

It's like the difference between Welsh, Scottish and English people. They used to be two separate countries (or more, at various points) then they got merged into one by conquest. Politically they're the same but there are still cultural differences.

Savos_Saren

VaranisArano wrote: »

Links: http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Nibenay , http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Colovia

Its complicated.

Nibenay is the eastern/central part of Cyrodiil, Colovia is the west (more or less). Both areas were settled by Cyro-Nords, but during the Alessian Reformation, the western portion of Cyrodiil resisted the Alessian priesthood and so became the autonomous Colovian Estates, leading to major cultural differences. Colovians tend to be austere and martial. Nibenese tend more towards merchants, philosophy, and magecraft.

So they are both Imperial, but I suspect its sort of like the way a native-born Dunmer can tell the difference between a native born Dunmer and a Outlander Dunmer n'wah.

I tend to think of them as somewhat similar to the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Obviously, one can only stretch the historical parallels so far in a video game, but the Colovians seem closer to the Roman Republic/Early Roman Empire ideal and the Nibenese seem closer to the Byzantines in inspiration.

Looks like ZoS has a good opportunity to create another race. Perhaps a Nibenese could have Spell Crit incorporated into its passives (like a khajiit has weapon crit)

VaranisArano

Savos_Saren wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Links: http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Nibenay , http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Colovia

Its complicated.

Nibenay is the eastern/central part of Cyrodiil, Colovia is the west (more or less). Both areas were settled by Cyro-Nords, but during the Alessian Reformation, the western portion of Cyrodiil resisted the Alessian priesthood and so became the autonomous Colovian Estates, leading to major cultural differences. Colovians tend to be austere and martial. Nibenese tend more towards merchants, philosophy, and magecraft.

So they are both Imperial, but I suspect its sort of like the way a native-born Dunmer can tell the difference between a native born Dunmer and a Outlander Dunmer n'wah.

I tend to think of them as somewhat similar to the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Obviously, one can only stretch the historical parallels so far in a video game, but the Colovians seem closer to the Roman Republic/Early Roman Empire ideal and the Nibenese seem closer to the Byzantines in inspiration.

Looks like ZoS has a good opportunity to create another race. Perhaps a Nibenese could have Spell Crit incorporated into its passives (like a khajiit has weapon crit)

Abnur Tharn is Nibenese nobility, so he seems to get along fine without any extra passives (though he could learn a thing or two about a proper rotation. I mean, Imperial Battlemage and all he throws is light attacks and a fear spell?) http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:House_Tharn_of_Nibenay

dodgehopper_ESO

Savos_Saren wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Links: http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Nibenay , http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Colovia

Its complicated.

Nibenay is the eastern/central part of Cyrodiil, Colovia is the west (more or less). Both areas were settled by Cyro-Nords, but during the Alessian Reformation, the western portion of Cyrodiil resisted the Alessian priesthood and so became the autonomous Colovian Estates, leading to major cultural differences. Colovians tend to be austere and martial. Nibenese tend more towards merchants, philosophy, and magecraft.

So they are both Imperial, but I suspect its sort of like the way a native-born Dunmer can tell the difference between a native born Dunmer and a Outlander Dunmer n'wah.

I tend to think of them as somewhat similar to the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Obviously, one can only stretch the historical parallels so far in a video game, but the Colovians seem closer to the Roman Republic/Early Roman Empire ideal and the Nibenese seem closer to the Byzantines in inspiration.

Looks like ZoS has a good opportunity to create another race. Perhaps a Nibenese could have Spell Crit incorporated into its passives (like a khajiit has weapon crit)

They're not really a separate race so much as different subcultures and both Colovian and Nibenese are Imperial. Colovians are also known for living in the Highlands and some live along the borders of Hammerfell and Skyrim so there are a lot of cultural attitudes they might share here as well as more familial mixing. Nibenese live more on the southeast side and intermix more with Elven, Argonian and Khajiiti cultures. As a stereotype the Colovians are known to be more present in the Imperial Army and the Nibenese tend to be mages and merchants a lot more. These are just stereotypes though.

Wreuntzylla

Same race, different cultures.

If we look to Earth and the Roman Empire, there were both citizens and non-citizens. Up until 212 AD, most of the inhabitants of the Roman empire were not citizens. Then all free persons were made citizens, but obviously slaves remained slaves. Of course, ESO imperials do not practice slavery, so your basically left with free, non-citizen imperials.

Grebcol

As i see this is that the percentage of Cyro-Nord Blood is much higher in Colovia than in Nibenay. The Nibenese are mostly descedants of the native Nedes. That would also mean that the colovians share some relatives to the nords (Brighter hair, skin, eyes and the love for being fierce warriors). In Fact there are 3 types: Colovians, Heartlanders (which are a mix of the others + outlander) and Nibenese. Cyrodiil is a nation of will.

JobooAGS

Colovians and nibeneses are both imperial, it is just cultural reasons

Grebcol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gJmnrJvO_4

Apart from the cultural differences, they have different names too. Nibenese people generally have Roman-sounding names, while Colovians generally have medieval Germanic and Slavic inspired names.

That could mean that the colovians also have a own dialect. As i said it is implied that the colovians are more cyro-nord and nibenese more nedic. But yeah ZoS/Bethesda didn't give a lot lore love to them. As it stands yes imperials are an umbrella for two ethnicity/cultural group.

Infos: Cyrodiil Pocket Guide
http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Pocket_Guide_to_the_Empire,_1st_Edition/Cyrodiil

Bananko

Wreuntzylla wrote: »

Same race, different cultures.

If we look to Earth and the Roman Empire, there were both citizens and non-citizens. Up until 212 AD, most of the inhabitants of the Roman empire were not citizens. Then all free persons were made citizens, but obviously slaves remained slaves. Of course, ESO imperials do not practice slavery, so your basically left with free, non-citizen imperials.

Or to use yet another Earth example (of which I'm sure there are several others): Russians, Ukranians and Belorussians are of the same race (East Slavic / Kievan Rus), yet later developed into similar but still somewhat distinct cultures.

yiasemi

A Colovian, a Nibenese and a scribe from the imperial city went into a Nord bar, the Colovian praised the rustic yet austere nature of the establishment and ordered whatever the brave Nords were drinking. The Nibenese, despite taunts of being a fancy lad, ordered the same and mentally reminded himself to bathe for a month when he got home. The scribe paid for everything with a chit from Imperial Requisitions after negotiating for a 40% discount and made a mental note to have a fire mage from the guild who owed him 55.7 septims incinerate it two days and three hours from now after taking the money back.

Chrysa1is

One is colovian, one is imperial and the other is nibenese

wheeyyyyyyyyy

TheShadowScout

Savos_Saren wrote: »

From my understanding: the Colovians and Nibenese are both Imperials- just from different regions of Cyrodiil?

That's essentially it, im much the same way bavarians and prussians are "both germans, but from different regions". Or the mentioned scotland-wales-britain thing. Or, well, like texans, new yorkers and alaskans are all americans.

Different regions, different cultures, possibly even slightly different dialects and physical differences (like colovians might be more likely to have lighter colored hair and nibanese more likely to have darker colored hair, etc.), but still the same people.
I mean, who cares about those differences when they are fighting against ayleid elves enslaving every one of them?

So, no "racial" differences there...
It would however be possible to add "cultural" passives if ZOS ever decides to do so, and then have one for the culture a character grew up with... and that could very well make a distinction between heartland cyrodil, colovian or nibanese imperials... just like there could be one that differs between vvardenfell dunmer, southern (deshaan) dunmer or east morrowind dunmer... or wood orcs, orsinium orcs and tribal orcs... or summerst altmer, auridion altmer and valenwood altmer... and so on.

bellatrixed

To further make the cultural difference clearer, Kvatch is Colovian style architecture and Anvil is Nibenese. The Imperial City is Niben style too, as is the Linchal Grand Manor house, whereas the more rustic Imperial homes like Strident Springs are Colovian.

Basically polished white marble, gold and opulence = Nibenese
More rustic dark wood and stone = Colovian

Both with a heavy roman influence of course.

Zama666

I still hate elves.

TaSheen

Quite a necro here....

Serpari

Easiest way to think of it is like our world's ethnicity. All Imperials are Imperials, but not all Imperials are Colovians because the Nibenese exist. Then there's people who can claim both, either due to ancestry (Colovian family on one side, Nibenese on the other) and/or living experience (lived in Colovia and the Niben at some point)

EDIT: Didn't realize this thread had been necro'd, so feel free to delete this comment, mods.

ZOS_Hadeostry

Greetings,

We've closed this thread given its age and the original discussion died out July 2018. If you wish to continue discussing this topic please create a new thread. Thank you for your understanding.