The Elder Scrolls: What is the Green Pact? | Game Rant
As players journeyed throughout the land of Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, or any other Elder Scrolls game, there's a chance that they jave heard of the Green Pact, a deal made between the Bosmer, or Wood Elves, with Y'ffre, a powerful forest god and important figure for the Bosmer pantheon.
At its core, the Green Pact means that Wood Elves can't harm or eat any vegetation, which has had a far-reaching impact on the race's culture and relationship with the other provinces of Tamriel. Not all Wood Elves, particularly those residing or born outside of their homeland Valenwood, choose to partake in the Green Pact, though those that do adhere to it remain extremely loyal to its principles.
The Green Pact doesn't just bar Wood Elves from consuming plants. Wood Elves can't harvest trees, can't kill wastefully, and must consume conquered enemies — meaning warriors that fall to Wood Elves will likely have their flesh consumed. As alternatives, Wood Elves will have often have wood imported from other regions of the world, a loophole to rule stopping them from harming vegetation, and use materials like bone for weapons, armor, and other needs.
Of course, importing wood isn't always strictly necessary. Part of the Green Pact gives Wood Elves the ability to grow their own settlements in a special ritual, though the exact process isn't entirely clear. It is, however, one of the greatest blessings the Green Pact grants to the Bosmer, complimenting their mastery of the forest in many different ways.
The truly controversial portion of the Green Pact comes from consuming fallen foes, which many in Tamriel view as a barbaric tradition. It doesn't help that there are no exceptions for Wood Elves killed by other Wood Elves, making it seem all the more cannibalistic. This takes shape in a few different forms, including a dish called Unthrappa – the prepared flesh of Wood Elves' enemies.
As Elder Scrolls became more popular with the release of Skyrim, so did its lore, leading to an uptick of players knowledgeable with some of the more obscure portions of the series' mythos. By the time Skyrim, one of the best RPGs of the last decade, rolled around, the Green Pact had become fairly common knowledge among the game's dedicated fans. That, of course, led to players wanting to roleplay as a cannibal Wood Elf.
Of course, role-playing in Skyrim is something many will strive for. However, it's a bit difficult to be a Green Pact Wood Elf for a healthy chunk of the game, specifically as it relates to consuming fallen foes. It is possible to be a cannibal in Skyrim, but players will first need to complete Namira's Daedric quest, granting the player the Ring of Namira. The ring allows players to become a cannibal, and while it can be acquired fairly early for those that journey to Markath first thing, it still does make the situation a bit more difficult.
Of course, it does make things like purchasing lumber a bit more complicated too. That's an area of relative ambiguity in the Green Pact, as it seems as long as the Wood Elves aren't the one actually harming the trees, it's alright by the Green Pact, but it's still hard to say whether or not that would be frowned upon at the end of the day.
Unfortunately, The Elder Scrolls 6 is years away. With a more than a decade gap likely between the two games, though, it seems pretty likely that Elder Scrolls 6 will boast quite a few improvements over the last game. It presents an amazing opportunity for Bethesda to present more opportunities for role-playing in the game, which Skyrim, admittedly, was lacking in compared to older entries, like Morrowind.
Bethesda could make plenty of changes to the races, along with the cultural factors that go into them. It would be interesting to see players given the option to play as Green Pact Wood Elves, or even include other background options for races like the Orcs. It would make the game far more replayable, and clean up a complaint many held about Skyrim.
The Green Pact is one of the more interesting parts of Elder Scrolls lore. It's one of the small pieces of trivia that draw players into the bigger picture, with far more details and stories surrounding it for those that want to dig a little deeper. Hopefully, Elder Scrolls 6 will expand on it, and other parts of the lore, even more.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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