The Elder Scrolls Online: Uncover the Secrets of the Psijic Order

The Elder Scrolls Online, the MMORPG experience that takes players 1000 years before the events of Skyrim, is back with another huge expansion! This is the first one since the esteemed Morrowind pack released last year and now Summerset is on the way bringing with it a few familiar faces and a new order to join. To get players into the mood ala Tamriel, the team behind the online experience invites fans to "uncover the secrets of the Psijic order."

The "Masters of Mysticism" are an ancient order made up of scholars with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on the "Old Ways." The order of the Psijic were the first to study in this field within Tamriel and were said to be so powerful that they could manipulate time itself.

"The Psijic Order have stated that they are primarily interested in learning the fundamental basics of the world and universe, what holds it together, and what could threaten it," explains Lawrence Schick, The Elder Scrolls Online's Loremaster. "They are dedicated to knowledge and study for its own ends, and to them, knowledge is its own reward."

According to the most recent lore update, the Psijic Order kept mostly to themselves on the island of Artaeum, a place that players will be able to explore when the Summerset expansion arrives. "It was there within the ancient halls of Ceporah Tower (a massive structure that pre-dates even the arrival of the Ancient Elves) that they explored the mysteries of the universe," explains the creative team, "rarely leaving their island home."

The Psijic Order was, and is, a secretive group that were unwilling to share their vast amounts of knowledge with the rest of Tamriel, no matter how worthy. "Unlike the Mages Guild, the Psijics have little interest in teaching anybody anything, and they are not interested in taking an active role in Tamriel," explains Lawrence. "When they did engage in the world, it was only in an advisory capacity, and they withdrew even from that limited role when they disappeared."

Even those within the Order began to doubt the reason for inclusion, with the great mage Vanus Galerion himself spectating that this "hording" of knowledge was inherently selfish. It was with that divide that Galerion eventually left to begin the Mages Guild.

"The reason is unknown, but around 350 years ago, the island of Artaeum simply vanished, taking the Psijics and their secrets with them. To where or even when they went is a mystery, but for centuries, the Psijic Order was no longer a part of Tamriel."

"It is only upon the Queen's decree and the opening of Summerset's borders to foreigners that the Psijics have appeared to return, although the island itself remains hidden. The return of the Psijic Order's agents to Tamriel, while historic, is also troubling, for their purposes remain obscured. Why did they leave? Why have they returned? And what is their connection to the shadowy conspiracy that now threatens the home of the High Elves?"

The Order is up to something though, and that will be what players will be tasked with during Summerset - to play a key role in just how this organization shapes Tamriel.

"The Psijic Order admits you as a special case and allows you to come to Artaeum, wherever it is they've taken it to," says Lawrence. "Usually, they're not particularly interested in sharing their knowledge with anybody outside the Order unless they prove themselves worthy or can meet them on an equal basis."

The Elder Scrolls Online Summerset expansion will be arriving on PC May 21st and on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 June 5th!