Black Weasel is sorta back. with questions about argonians

[Daemos Avetorii]

Okay I have been gone from this forum for what 1 2 months.. In the meantime my inner database lost some data and since I'll be back in oblivion soon I need a refresher course. Hence some questions.

Argonians are born from eggs? yes or no?
How big are those eggs?
Do they spawn as tadpoles?
How fast do they grow?
How long can argonians naturall live?

Next question is relevant to oblivion, mind you I have not played in quite a while and my mind is not so sharp on oblivion as it once was.
Can Argonians be successful mages/warlocks/etc, both male and female or should they stick to stealth?

I remember something about argonians hating khajiit or vice versa, how was that and who else do argonians hate or like?
that about covers it for now. Thanks in advance for any answers.

[AKB]

Argonians are born in clutches of eggs of one to five based on available lore. We can also infer that larger clutches are unusual based on this, since it was seen as a direct message from Sithis when the clutch was as large as it was. We could make some basic estimates on egg size, but we have no concrete information on this. While I'd prefer to compare their birthing to something like a komodo dragon, but they lay much larger clutches to work out well. So after much thought, I think my best guess for an Argonian's egg size would have to be an ostrich's egg. Note that an ostrich's egg is actually small for the animal's full size, but it's the best I can think up. So an Argonian egg, if this guess is right, would be about 15 cm long and 13 cm wide.

Onto the tadpole question, I would simply say no to that. The number of Argonians born in a clutch suggest that a tadpole stage would be disastrous for the race's survival.

The only thing I can guess for their growth is that they mature at approximately the same time elves and humans do, with a similar lifespan to humans. I say that on the assumption that if they lived longer or shorter natural lives, it would be mentioned.

Argonians can be successful mages.

There is no unusual animosity between Argonians and Khajiit from the top of my head. There is some between them and Dunmer, though.

[Daemos Avetorii]

Thank you. Is the + speed and agility on argonian males in oblivion not wasted on a mage?

[AKB]

I like to be able to dodge blows, personally. Either way, basic magical power is so game breakingly good that it is not an issue either way.

[Br3admax]

I think Argonians are only born from eggs inside of Black Marsh, these days.

[Daemos Avetorii]

Alright. I recall Argonians have bonuses in alchemy, illusion, and mysticism. I might be able to make a mage/semi mage from that.
Thanks for your input.

[Snail's Pace]

According to the table at the bottom of this page...
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Races
...which summarizes racial attitudes in late 3rd Era Cyrodiil, Argonians strongly dislike Altmer and Dunmer, and have low regard for Orcs. Nobody dislikes Argonians though.

[all_freed]

I think there was an Argonian, in Leyawiin, that likes to make jokes about the Khajiits. Can't remember if there was anyone else. The rest of the folk seem to get along well enough.

[Dark Spark]

I wonder, is it truly possible to have twins hatch from one egg? And what kind of chance would they be fraternal twins, not identical ones?

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Argonians are born from eggs? yes or no?

Usually. It depends on the intention and design of the Hist. They can and sometimes are born live, like certain snakes or mammals.

How big are those eggs?

It varies. Depends on the intention and design of the Hist. On average, roughly the size of a soccer ball if memory serves.

Do they spawn as tadpoles?

Probably not usually. Depends on the intention and design of the Hist. Baby Saxhleel are usually shaped like large tree lizards, and they mature into a more humanoid shape depending on the amount and type of Hist Sap they're allowed to consume.

How fast do they grow?

Depends on the intention and design of the Hist. Your average Argonian sighted in Imperial lands probably matured at rates similar to a Human, but maybe a bit faster.

How long can argonians naturall live?

Depends on the intention and design of the Hist. (See a pattern yet?) It's widely understood that the average Argonian has a lifespan roughly similar to the average Khajiit, Human or Orc, and lower than the average Mer, but it varies. Sorcery can extend anyone's life, of course.

[Imbalance]

Ok, smartypants, do they have tail bones?

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Doesn't everybody?

[Dark Spark]

Doesn't everybody?

Yup.

Same can be said of licking trees. Don't tell me you haven't.

[all_freed]

I tried licking a palm tree before. My tongue and mouth stung for a few minutes.

[Pilaf The Defiler]

Consider Hist Sap as sweet, syrupy goodness.

Syrup that gives non-Argonians horrendous hallucinations that drive them to murder, and which can recreate the physical or geochemical properties of any substance or person it's ever touched. (Or even that it remembers from another Dream, or the Future that hasn't happened yet.)

Hist. Kind of a big deal. Still delicious though.

[Daemos Avetorii]

Some more questions.
What about Argonians makes them immune to poison and resistant to disease?
Is their digestive system believed to be very different from man/mer?
How wide can they open their mouth? Are we thinking crocodile here?
Are they naturally carnivores? @ pointy teeth?
Did they get high security from experience as slaves trying to escape?
How much better/worse is argonian vision compared to man/mer?
And their hearing?

[Pilaf The Defiler]

What about Argonians makes them immune to poison and resistant to disease?

Just born/made that way I suppose. There's no single book or line of dialogue that explains it in any depth. The most logical and widely accepted line of reasoning is that the Hist made the evolve to survive their environment, and their environment is full of dangerous diseases and poisonous plants and animals.

Is their digestive system believed to be very different from man/mer?

I would imagine so. Again, there aren't any actual sources on this, aside from fan speculation. These are very in-depth questions and the lore doesn't generally go that deep in most cases. I'd base my ideas of Saxhleel biology more on reptiles or amphibians than mammals.

How wide can they open their mouth? Are we thinking crocodile here?

Dude, really. Like...just... we don't know. Something you need to acknowledge here is the wide array of body types for Argonians. Don't assume "Argonians" are all the same type of creature. Some can look nearly Human. Some have Catfish heads (Naga). I would imagine it varies widely from subgroup to subgroup.

Are they naturally carnivores? @ pointy teeth?

They're omnivores, but probably consume more animal matter. That would depend on the body type again, though. Not all Argonians are lizard types.

Did they get high security from experience as slaves trying to escape?

Maybe sometimes, but I'd imagine their lore on Shadowscales influenced this decision as well. Having an elite assassin group associated with your province would logically cause your race to get a boost there in an RPG game.

How much better/worse is argonian vision compared to man/mer?
And their hearing?

Depends what kind of Argonian. I'm assuming you mean the ones we commonly see in the games. If you go by First Person view, about the same. If you go more by biology, Lizards have a better sense of taste/smell than vision or hearing. These are magically created beings in a fantasy universe, though, so those normal rules may not apply.

[Daemos Avetorii]

Thanks for the replies. Something else. I just noticed Argonians completely lost their poison immunity in skyrim. Is this a balancing act? an oversight? another reason? >> They also lost illusion/alchemy bonus.

Skyrim Argonians however looks soo much better than oblivion ones.