| Dreugh | |||
|---|---|---|---|
A Water Dreugh |
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| Type | Race (Beastfolk) | ||
| Range | Black Marsh, Cyrodiil, Eltheric Ocean, Hammerfell, High Rock, Morrowind, Padomaic Ocean, Summerset Isles, Lyg (historically) | ||
| Appears in | |||
The dreugh (/drɛɡ/ listen⏵)[1] are an ancient species of aquatic, octopus-like beastfolk,[2][3] commonly hunted for their hide and the wax scraped from their shells.[2] They are sometimes known as water dreugh[4][5] or cepholomer,[UOL 1] with a known variant being the dreugh man o'war.[6] The dreugh live on land and in water during different stages of their lives.[7]
Dreugh are known to be immune to paralysis, poison and disease and resistant to magic, but have a low tolerance to frost. They can regenerate health in darkness and in water, but cannot enter holy places.[8] Their infamous shock attacks are unique to land dreugh, and those in the water must rely on melee attacks.[9]
According to various legends, the dreugh once possessed a great civilization.[10] Having ruled the whole world as kings, in their mysterious domain of Lyg.[11][12]
History and MythologyEdit
Rulers of LygEdit
The origins of the dreugh are clouded in myth. According to various legends, the dreugh once ruled the world as tyrants, and Molag Bal had served as their chief, having a form closely resembling that of his followers.[12] According to the teachings of Mankar Camoran, the tyrannical dreugh-kings ruled over all of Mundus and enslaved the oceans in their land of Lyg, which was said to have been destroyed in the former kalpa by Mehrunes Dagon.[11][13][UOL 1] Similar accounts are mentioned in ancient Khajiit myth, which states the Demon Cat Dagon (also called Merrunz) and the Demon King Molagh fought in anicent conflict.[14]
In the Iliac Bay region, the dreugh are rumored to be the "cursed" remnants of a once proud prehistoric civilization from long before the First Era.[10][UOL 2]
Ancient MorrowindEdit
The ancient Chimer once had dealings with the dreugh; Tribunal Temple teachings speak of the treacherous "Altmer of the sea" and their castles of glass and coral.[15][12] It is said they even took the forms of dreugh during the first of the "Altmeri formwars", during which they are claimed to have sieged the necromantic meatmerchants of Thras.[UOL 3]
In the mythical account of the living god Vivec's birth presented in the 36 Lessons of Vivec, Vivec's mother was approached by Ayem and informed an image of Vivec resided within her before being tossed in the sea by Ayem to the dreugh who changed her sex so she could give birth to the image as an egg.[15] These dreugh were said to have taught Vivec how to use his "Water Face" before he was born.[16] Later in these accounts of his life, Vivec had a sexual union with Molag Bal, the former ruler of the dreugh, known as the Pomegranate Banquet.[17] Legends circulated that the Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, spied on Vivec and Bal during the Pomegranate Banquet, which angered the two. In retaliation, an army of dreugh was sent after Mora's shrine of worship located in Anudnabia. The shrine was destroyed and dragged beneath the sea and no more shrines to Mora were allowed to be built in Vvardenfell.[18][19]
During the banquet, Vivec gave birth to many monstrous offspring,[17] one of them was known as the Ruddy Man. The Ruddy Man took the form of a dead carapace that was the old image of Molag Bal from when he was the king of the dreugh. When this dead carapace was dropped into the world, a Chimer child from Gnisis wore it to scare his village, but instead became the Ruddy Man. Vivec did battle with the Ruddy Man in Koal Cave, and their fighting created the West Gash region of Vvardenfell. Vivec was victorious, and went to give the carapace to the dreughs who modified his mother. However their leader, the Queen of Dreughs (whose name is not easy to spell), was in a period of self-incubation. Her wardens took the carapace from Vivec in her stead and promised to safeguard it, but this is the first recorded account of the dreughs being liars. Instead, the dreugh imbued the living armor with mythic inflexibility. The Ruddy Man appeared again ten years later at Tear, this time worn by a wayward shaman of the House of Troubles. After defeating him a second time, Vivec gave the carapace to the devout and loyal mystics of the Number Room, who made it into "a philosopher's armor".[12][20]
After their betrayal, Vivec no longer trusted the dreugh.[12] Tribunal mythology claims he created nix-hounds to hunt the dreugh during a time-lost campaign against them.[UOL 4] The site of the Ruddy Man and Vivec's first battle, Koal Cave, would become the site of the Shrine of Valor, which was set up by the Tribunal Temple and served as part of the Pilgrimage of the Seven Graces. Pilgrims were told that the Ruddy Man was the father of all dreughs, and that Vivec spared his life on the condition that he and his children agreed to give up their tough hides as armor for the Dunmer.[20] The dreughs' protracted conflict with Dunmer hunters is blamed for their devolved intelligence and the further destruction of their civilization.[5]
Later HistoryEdit
In 1E 2703,[21][22] the Trident-Kings of the dreugh briefly formed an alliance with the Dunmer of Morrowind to fight together against the Tsaesci invasion.[23]
Circa 2E 582, a dreugh known as the Ruddy Broodmother began terrorizing the roads around Molag Mar, killing pilgrim and Buoyant Armiger alike. The Ruddy Broodmother made its lair within the Dreudurai Glass Mine, which the Erabenimsun knew as ancient dreugh spawning grounds.[24] The Vestige, with the help of a group of Ashlanders, drew it out of hiding and slew it. A pilgrim who survived the incident and fled into an ancestral tomb believed the creature to be the mythical Ruddy Man, though Ashlanders denied its existence, claiming that the Broodmother was simply a powerful and cunning dreugh. The Buoyant Armigers considered the thought of the beast being the Ruddy Man borderline heresy. The captain of the Buoyant Armigers at the time suggested that if the Ruddy Broodmother truly was related to the creature of legend, that it might be a lesser creature "cut from the same cloth" as the Ruddy Man.[25]
When the floating city of Umbriel arrived over Black Marsh in 4E 48, the dreugh knew to flee from the sight of it.[26]
Behavior and CultureEdit
Water dreugh are mostly mild-mannered, and usually scavenge for food.[7] Occasionally, dreugh will cut fishermens' nets while scavenging to steal the fish inside.[7] Dreugh are omnivores, and have been seen eating Elven flesh.[4] When hunting, they prefer dark, dank places from which to snatch unsuspecting prey.[24]
Dreugh are troglophiles, and can often be found living in caves and underwater grottos.[27][28] Dreugh are found mostly in northern, western and eastern Tamriel,[29] but can usually be found anywhere coastal that isn't in frigid waters.[30] They are known to inhabit the Inner Sea and the Abecean Sea, migrating into the waterways of the Iliac Bay.[7] Land dreugh can be found as far inland as Cyrodiil and Craglorn.[5]
Despite being far from their more lofty origins,[5][10] the dreugh still possess some civilization.[31][UOL 1] They were historically ruled by the Trident-Kings as late as the Second Era.[23] Legends tell of civilized land dreugh colonies which raised herds of mudcrabs as food stock. These colonies purportedly built stone cairn houses and structures. While it is claimed no evidence of such advanced behavior exists today,[4] the colony of dreugh that inhabited Fungal Grotto in 2E 582 were known to have command over mudrabs, and had a king.[32] Land dreugh are dexterous enough to use knives to prepare fish for consumption.[33]
While it is said dreugh have no known language or communication skills,[4] they do apparently understand Impish, and will even cease hostilites towards those that speak it.[34] Dreugh are known to have historically followed Molag Bal,[12][18] and later worshipped his manifestation, the Ruddy Man.[5]
Life CycleEdit
For one year of their life, dreugh undergo karvinasim and emerge onto land as aggressive crustaceans to breed. During this period they are known as land dreugh or Billies.[35][36] Land dreugh carapaces are very sturdy, and can deflect most attacks from common weaponry.[4] They favor shoreline marshes and rivers close to the open water.[7] Dreugh are capable of channeling some form of shock energy through their bodies, and usually do this when defending their nests from invaders.[4] Most scholars agree this is a natural adaptation, and not magical in nature.[4] There is said to be a reverse process of karvinasim called akarvina, where land creatures instead become creatures of the sea.[UOL 5]
Land dreugh lay eggs which are surrounded in a protective jelly,[36] then encase their eggs in mud.[4] It is thought that karvinasim heightens the dreugh's martial instincts, making them more aggressive.[7] Hatchlings are closely guarded, and broodmothers are extremely territorial.[7] Unlike their aquatic counterparts, the land dreugh show no signs of their usual intelligence and kill indiscriminately,[37] even going so far as to cocoon living victims in mud to feed their young.[38][39] Not much else is known about their nesting habits.[4] Dreugh are very protective of their eggs, and are unafraid of invading mortal settlements or destroying ships to find them.[40][41] If their eggs have gone missing, they can sense where the missing eggs are.[40][41] Fisherfolk occasionally harvest eggs from land dreugh mud nests, though this is a dangerous task.[4]
After their year on land, dreugh undergo meff, where they digest their unneeded skin and organs and vomit the congealed remains as small fibrous balls called "grom".[7] Grom is foul-smelling, and can make those with a weak stomach queasy.[7] There is no known alchemical use for grom, but boiling the substance allows it to be shaped to create potion flasks that don't break when dropped.[42]
Some scholars argue that the land dreugh is actually a distant relative of the true dreugh from further back on the evolutionary timeline, perhaps even related to Spider Daedra.[37]
UsesEdit
The Dunmer use dreugh wax in alchemy for its modest magical properties,[2][43] and their hide to make traditional armor and weapons.[2][44] Waterstones are calcified deposits found in dreugh organs. They absorb fresh water, and may be swallowed to stave off dehydration.[45] Dreugh are sometimes hunted for their meat, which can be more easily extracted from the shell via the use of specialized tools.[46] Dreugh meat apparently smells like lobster.[47]
Dreugh wax can be used to make candles,[48] boot polish,[49] and wax stoppers used to close open bottles.[50] Dreugh wax corkers are slightly controversial; some people who use them say they make drinks more flavorful, and others say it leaves a waxy aftertaste on the lip of the bottle.[50] Dreugh wax can also be used to make ladles whose only purpose is to spoon scrib jelly when cooking, as the jelly won't stick to the wax.[51] Dreugh wax ladles are useless in all other culinary applications.[51] Their wax is also used to treat netch leather armor, to keep it in fighting shape.[52] Dreugh claws can be used to make knives and ornamental objects, such as candle holders.[53][54] Grom is occasionally preserved in vinegar and stored in sealed glass decanters by the Dunmer.[55] Bright blue ink can be brewed from dreugh ichor.[56] Open-bottomed spoons made of Bogmother dreugh-shell are used in the Argonian ritual of the Empty Feast of Nullity.[57] Dreugh-shell is also suitable for making decorative plaques with which to mount trophies and other objects.[58] Rich, dark red pigment can be extracted from dreugh shell and used for a variety of artistic and cosmetic purposes, such as lip stain.[59] When mixed with mushrooms, dreugh excrement can be used to make repellant that drives dreugh (or anything that can smell) away from fishermen.[60]
GalleryEdit
-
A dreugh
(Daggerfall) -
A dreugh
(Morrowind) -
A land dreugh
(Oblivion) -
A blue land dreugh
(ESO) -
A blue land dreugh guarding nests
(Legends) -
Detail of the Ruddy Broodmother's face
(ESO) -
A dreugh nest, with eggs
(ESO) -
Dreugh Hatchlings
(ESO) -
Dreugh Wax
(ESO) -
A dreugh mud pile
(ESO) -
Dreugh Shell Armor
(Morrowind) -
Dreugh Shell Armor
(Legends) -
Dreugh Staff
(Skyrim) -
Dreugh Wallpaper
Concept ArtEdit
-
Dreugh
(Daggerfall) -
Land Dreugh
(Oblivion) -
Land Dreugh
(Oblivion) -
Land Dreugh
(ESO)
NotesEdit
- The dreugh were one of the last character models designed for Daggerfall. It had been decided that there was not enough variety in underwater creatures, so the dreugh was invented to "pep things up".[UOL 6]
- Dreugh Shrimp and Dreughfish are both named after the species.[61]
See AlsoEdit
- Dreugh Names
- For game-specific information, see the Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Elder Scrolls Online, and Legends articles.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ ESO Live: "Episode 2". Retrieved 2025-02-1.
- ^ a b c d Generic dialogue on the topic of Dreugh in Morrowind
- ^ An Argument For Common Sense — Uruld, preserved by Gollred
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Notes on the Dreugh
- ^ a b c d e Creating ESO: The Dreugh
- ^ Briring and Gudling the Rascal's dialogue in Morrowind
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Revolting Life Cycle of the Dreugh — Fronto Maecilius
- ^ Dreugh in Daggerfall
- ^ Dreugh in ESO
- ^ a b c Daggerfall User's Guide
- ^ a b Mythic Dawn Commentaries 4 — Mankar Camoran
- ^ a b c d e f 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 28 — Vivec
- ^ The Nine Coruscations — Star-Queen Varalias
- ^ The Adversarial Spirits — Amun-dro, the Silent Priest
- ^ a b 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 1 — Vivec
- ^ 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 16 — Vivec
- ^ a b 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 12 — Vivec
- ^ a b Monk Methas Irethi's dialogue in ESO
- ^ The Inner Sea loading screen in ESO
- ^ a b The Pilgrim's Path — Tribunal Temple
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Other Lands — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Temple: Morrowind — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ a b Countess Narina Carvain's dialogue in Oblivion
- ^ a b Ibaal's dialogue during An Armiger's Duty in ESO: Morrowind
- ^ Captain Naros' dialogue during An Armiger's Duty in ESO: Morrowind
- ^ Lord of Souls — Greg Keyes
- ^ Notes on Racial Phylogeny — the Council of Healers, Imperial University
- ^ Grottos in Morrowind
- ^ 2920, Sun's Dawn — Carlovac Townway
- ^ Withershyn's Interview with a Legionnaire Concerning Solstheim — Ligur Pontius
- ^ Dreugh Warlord in Morrowind
- ^ Kra'gh Style description in ESO
- ^ Dark Harvester card in Legends
- ^ Impish in Daggerfall
- ^ Rumors in Oblivion
- ^ a b The Improved Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: High Rock — Flaccus Terentius, 2E 581
- ^ a b Brenus Astis' Journal — Brenus Astis
- ^ They Dragged Him Away quest in ESO
- ^ Njorlund Steel-Wind's dialogue during Saving the Relics in ESO
- ^ a b The Dreugh Threat quest in ESO
- ^ a b Triumph of the Sep Adder — Zabia-ko
- ^ Fantos Epilion's Journal — Fantos Epilion
- ^ Dreugh Wax uses in Morrowind
- ^ Dreugh armor in Morrowind
- ^ Waterstones item description in ESO
- ^ Dreugh Corer item description in ESO
- ^ Maj al-Ragath's dialogue during Pledge: Fungal Grotto I in ESO
- ^ Dreugh Wax Crescent Candles item description in ESO
- ^ Nobles' Soil-Repelling Dreugh Wax item description in ESO
- ^ a b Dreugh Wax Corker item description in ESO
- ^ a b Wax Ladle item description in ESO
- ^ Settling the Debate — Ralevyn Nerano
- ^ Dreugh-Claw Pairing Knife item description in ESO
- ^ Dreugh-Claw Candle Holder item description in ESO
- ^ Decanter of Preserved Grom Globs item description in ESO
- ^ Inkwell of Dreugh Ink item description in ESO
- ^ Dreugh-Shell Sithis Spoon item description in ESO
- ^ Golden Mudcrab Plaque item description in ESO
- ^ Ruddy Lip Paint item description in ESO
- ^ Dreugh Repellant item description in ESO
- ^ Dreugh Shrimp and Dreughfish items in ESO
Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.
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