Lore:Imga

A sketch of a Great Ape, drawn by 'YR'

Marukh the Prophet

The Imga, also called Great Apes or Apemen, are native beastfolk of Valenwood. These intelligent apes are said to have flourished in Valenwood long before the Aldmer ever arrived there. They cohabit in the forests with the Bosmer tribes, and also inhabit many of the abandoned human trading posts which had been established during the Second Empire. The apemen are also reportedly found in the mountainous areas in the west and north of Tamriel, and seldom encountered in the East. The Dunmer kept the apemen as slaves, though not in as great numbers as they keep Argonians.

The most notable Imga was undoubtedly Marukh, a First Era prophet who rose to prominence during the Camoran Dynasty. His teachings sparked the massive cultural and spiritual movement known as the Alessian Order. Other Imga would go on to follow his teachings in the Marukhati Selective.

Society

Imga Fur

Imga are known to practice courting rituals, though not much else about their reproduction is well understood. In Falinesti, colonies of Imga apes gather Kollopi, an arboreal rodent, from the ends of the slenderest branches of the graht-oaks. The "ape men" are naturally dexterous, and are renowned for their agility. They climb beneath the Kollopi rodents then jump up to "pick" them from their perches. These Kollopi are then used to make a simple peasant dish of the same name. There is a beverage named for the Imga, known as "Sipping Imga Tonic".

While the Imga share the forests with the Bosmer, it has been claimed that they have little love for them. Though Imga have been known to attend revelries in Falinesti, alongside Bosmer, Wood Orcs, and Centaurs.

Some Imga see the Altmeri as their superiors and as a portrait of an ideal, civilized society. Imga go to desperate measures to emulate the Altmeri: they wear capes, practice with the dueling sword, and attempt to speak with perfect enunciation and courtly manners despite their gravelly, baritone voices. Some Altmer seem to treat them with a degree of respect. Each individual bears some kind of title, be it Baron, Duke, Earl, or the like, which they use when addressing the members of the Thalmor (but despite what the titles suggest, there are supposedly no land-owning Imga). More extreme Imga shave their bodies and powder their skin white to seem more like the Altmeri. The Imga feel that Men are beneath them as lesser beastfolk and pretend to find their smell exceedingly offensive: when Men are around, Imga hold perfumed corners of their capes to their noses.

Luxurious hand warmers made from Imga fur are known to exist. It is unknown who makes these but the sewn label inside them claim they were made from "treacherous" Imga.

Brief Disappearance

The majority of Imga disappeared from Valenwood during the Three Banners War and Planemeld, believed to be part of their time-tested strategy of hiding out during periods of warfare until the strife was safely over. The controversial Altmer author Cirantille believed that they went to 'visit Falinesti', which had already vanished from Tamriel centuries prior, so that they could wait out the end of the Planemeld and the Three Banners War, though most of her peers disagreed with her opinion on the subject. Sometime around 2E 582, there was an Imgan Lich-Queen that ruled over Meirvale in Elsweyr, but she was later defeated by Razum-dar, a well-known agent. It is unknown exactly when or how the Imga returned. Though they are known to have returned by 2E 864.

Notes

• The Imgakin are a species of golden-colored monkeys, although any actual relationship the breed may have with the Imga is not readily apparent.
• The author of Ahzirr Traajijazeri derogatorily referred to the Imga as "baboonish", and described them as smiling like idiots as they walk around.
• The Lynpar March is said to be in Imga territory.

References

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.