What would an Argonian's diet consist of?

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Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
As I am preparing my build for my Argonian Spell-Sword/Assassin/Thief I intend to truly RP this character and am wondering what an Argo's diet would consist of.

I am not fully conversant with their culture and really don't know much about lizards in general.

Any suggestions? How would you RP it?

Eventually I will be taking him vamp (thus his very light coloring) so what he eats at that point will be easy, but, until then...

Are there any other characteristics that you would include in such a character?

What about other races? Would you think they would have very specific diets, sleep patterns, or behaviours given their race?

Just wondering.
 

Kalin of High Rock

Faal Lun Vahdin
Considering that the Argonians are more than semi-aquatic. And that the Argonians that we're familiar with are generally from tribes along the coasts, not in the nigh-impenetrable jungle interior of Blackmarsh where more exotic and dangerous sub-species of Argonian reside. So I'm going to go ahead and guess that the bulk of the protein in their diet is provided by fish. Maybe large jungle grubs and other invertebrates like crab and lobster.

They're a jungle culture, so they probably also eat a lot of nuts and tropical fruits. They have a reverence for the Hisst trees and use the trees hallucinogenic sap in their spiritual practices. But I don't think it's part of their normal diet.

Their jungle environment pretty much eliminates large-scale agriculture. So wheat and cereal crops probably do not factor big in a traditional argonian diet. But foraged crops like wild yam or sweet potato may. Without cereals and wheals, baked bread is probably not a staple, but they could ground yam into flour and produce bread that way.
 

Gigapact

Lollygagging Milk Drinker (according to guards)
I agree with Kalin of High Rock. Since Argonians are more aquatic beings, I would say fish would be the biggest part of their diet. So grab some salmon and seared slaughterfish for sure. I think you can also harvest crab legs from mudcrab, that should work well too. As far as the liquid part of his diet, I would definitely try to get your hands on some Argonian ale or mead, whatever it's called. Also go to Riften and go into the Bee and Barn and buy the special drinks that the Argonian male in there makes.

As far as other races, I always picture nords as big time meat eaters and nord mead drinkers, with some cheeses and baked potatoes thrown in there. For Khajiit, I also always picture them as meat eaters solely because they are a feline race. Not sure if I'm correct, but that's what I always assume. I also picture orcs as big meat eaters. As far as the elven races and other races, I have no clue.
 

Gigapact

Lollygagging Milk Drinker (according to guards)
Oh and as far as behaviors and sleep patterns, I always picture nords as heavy mead drinkers and regular sleep patterns at night because they have good resistance to the cold for during the day.

For Khajiit, I picture them as nocturnal beings. Also that many of them have a skooma problem and a thieving problem.

For Argonians, I normally picture them as loving the southern parts of Skyrim where the water is refeshing and they can go into it frequently, or the swampy and foggy parts near Morthal.

For the other races... normal sleeping patterns. I always assume orcs are more aggresive and like to brawl frequently. High elves as being very pretentious and magic oriented. Wood Elves as loving to hunt and be outdoors in the southern parts of Skyrim. Bretons and imperials, I'm not sure.
 

AS88

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Dunmer...

Considering that the Argonians are more than semi-aquatic. And that the Argonians that we're familiar with are generally from tribes along the coasts, not in the nigh-impenetrable jungle interior of Blackmarsh where more exotic and dangerous sub-species of Argonian reside. So I'm going to go ahead and guess that the bulk of the protein in their diet is provided by fish. Maybe large jungle grubs and other invertebrates like crab and lobster.

They're a jungle culture, so they probably also eat a lot of nuts and tropical fruits. They have a reverence for the Hisst trees and use the trees hallucinogenic sap in their spiritual practices. But I don't think it's part of their normal diet.

Their jungle environment pretty much eliminates large-scale agriculture. So wheat and cereal crops probably do not factor big in a traditional argonian diet. But foraged crops like wild yam or sweet potato may. Without cereals and wheals, baked bread is probably not a staple, but they could ground yam into flour and produce bread that way.

But, this.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Dunmer...

Considering that the Argonians are more than semi-aquatic. And that the Argonians that we're familiar with are generally from tribes along the coasts, not in the nigh-impenetrable jungle interior of Blackmarsh where more exotic and dangerous sub-species of Argonian reside. So I'm going to go ahead and guess that the bulk of the protein in their diet is provided by fish. Maybe large jungle grubs and other invertebrates like crab and lobster.

They're a jungle culture, so they probably also eat a lot of nuts and tropical fruits. They have a reverence for the Hisst trees and use the trees hallucinogenic sap in their spiritual practices. But I don't think it's part of their normal diet.

Their jungle environment pretty much eliminates large-scale agriculture. So wheat and cereal crops probably do not factor big in a traditional argonian diet. But foraged crops like wild yam or sweet potato may. Without cereals and wheals, baked bread is probably not a staple, but they could ground yam into flour and produce bread that way.

But, this.
:confused:
 

Kalin of High Rock

Faal Lun Vahdin
He's not completely off the mark. Former slaves of the dunmer, forced to work the fertile farmlands of mainland Morrowind, would bring with them dunmer culinary and agricultural practices when they reintegrated into Blackmarsh societies.

Compound this with the argonian conquest of Morrowind in the years following the eruption of The Red Mountain. The argonians would have access to large swaths of tillable land for the first time in their history.

Argonian-Dunmer fusion would be a likely sub-culture of the argonian dietary landscape. Especially in places that either saw mass resettlement of former slaves and their descendants, or colonies in conquered regions of Morrowind.
 

AS88

Well-Known Member
Staff member
He's not completely off the mark. Former slaves of the dunmer, forced to work the fertile farmlands of mainland Morrowind, would bring with them dunmer culinary and agricultural practices when they reintegrated into Blackmarsh societies.

Compound this with the argonian conquest of Morrowind in the years following the eruption of The Red Mountain. The argonians would have access to large swaths of tillable land for the first time in their history.

Argonian-Dunmer fusion would be a likely sub-culture of the argonian dietary landscape. Especially in places that either saw mass resettlement of former slaves and their descendants, or colonies in conquered regions of Morrowind.

I was thinking more of a cut-up-slavemaster-and-eat-his-kidneys-around-the-fire sort of stuff, but I agree with this, too.
 

Lucid

Well-Known Member
I imagine lots of fish and mudcrab.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
I was thinking more of a cut-up-slavemaster-and-eat-his-kidneys-around-the-fire sort of stuff, but I agree with this, too.


Ring of Namira and eat dead people...problem solved
I always kind of thought that Argonians would eat people if given the chance. I like to think of them more along the lines of Kimodo Dragons rather than Iguana's.
 

Kalin of High Rock

Faal Lun Vahdin
That's definitely not the impression I get of the Argonians. Most Argonians you come across are reserved, soft spoken and gentle people. Not just in Skyrim, but in Oblivion and Morrowind as well.

It's a pretty consistent portrayal of a people who are often persecuted for no real reason other then the fact that they are fundamentally different than everyone else.

There are supposedly more vicious, tribal, savage groups of argonians deep in the jungle interior of Blackmarsh. Argonians that look like snakes, or giant toads. Argonians with dragon-like wings. But the common variety of argonian you see in Tamriel is no more likely to be a cannibal than any other race.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
That's definitely not the impression I get of the Argonians. Most Argonians you come across are reserved, soft spoken and gentle people. Not just in Skyrim, but in Oblivion and Morrowind as well.

It's a pretty consistent portrayal of a people who are often persecuted for no real reason other then the fact that they are fundamentally different than everyone else.

There are supposedly more vicious, tribal, savage groups of argonians deep in the jungle interior of Blackmarsh. Argonians that look like snakes, or giant toads. Argonians with dragon-like wings. But the common variety of argonian you see in Tamriel is no more likely to be a cannibal than any other race.
Thank you! That gives me absolutely great ideas for backstory!
 

Bulldog

Active Member
That's definitely not the impression I get of the Argonians. Most Argonians you come across are reserved, soft spoken and gentle people. Not just in Skyrim, but in Oblivion and Morrowind as well.

It's a pretty consistent portrayal of a people who are often persecuted for no real reason other then the fact that they are fundamentally different than everyone else.

There are supposedly more vicious, tribal, savage groups of argonians deep in the jungle interior of Blackmarsh. Argonians that look like snakes, or giant toads. Argonians with dragon-like wings. But the common variety of argonian you see in Tamriel is no more likely to be a cannibal than any other race.


Technically, Wood Elves are cannibals. Also you could always have that one crazy Argonian that is a cannibal. Just like in real life. People aren't suppose to eat other people. Yet, there have been those crazy ones.
 

Kohlar the Unkilled

Time for some ale
My Argonian eats flesh of all sorts, but that's just him. No reason you couldn't make a fruit-eater. Part of his schtick could be always carrying a couple hundred apples. But for a flesh eater, Namira's ring is fun at low levels. In addition to whatever choice you make, have him be a Sleeping Tree Sap addict. That would be colorful.
 

Bulldog

Active Member
My Argonian eats flesh of all sorts, but that's just him. No reason you couldn't make a fruit-eater. Part of his schtick could be always carrying a couple hundred apples. But for a flesh eater, Namira's ring is fun at low levels. In addition to whatever choice you make, have him be a Sleeping Tree Sap addict. That would be colorful.


I have a couple of problems with Sleeping Tree Sap. It is so hard to get it would be hard to keep the addiction up, plus at 150 a bottle to Ysolda it is hard not to sell it all to her.
 

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