In an eight-hour confessional film about the development of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, published on the Filmdeg Miniatures YouTube channel, the creators recall how one of the strangest and most influential RPGs of its time was born.
One of the interviewees was Mark Nelson, a writer and quest designer who worked on the Tribunal and Bloodmoon expansions, and was also responsible for the starting village of Seyda Neen. It is to him that fans owe the appearance of The Lusty Argonian Maid, an erotic comedy within the TES world that has become a cult meme and an integral part of folklore.
"I don't even remember why I wrote it," Nelson admits. "Honestly, it probably happened after some 'happy hour' [when drinks at the bar are cheaper] or something like that." According to him, at some point he just got tired of the routine work on the script and decided to write something silly to distract himself.
At that time, the team had a rule introduced by Todd Howard: "There is no place for humor in games." However, within the team, it quickly transformed into a joking formula: "There is no place for humor in games... unless Todd doesn't find out about it."
Perhaps the text of "The Lusty Argonian Maid" would not have made it into the final version if the management had noticed it. But, as Nelson recalls, "since no one paid attention, we could just insert anything into the game."
This is how The Lusty Argonian Maid entered the world of The Elder Scrolls, first as a joke, and then as part of fan folklore. Later, it returned in Oblivion, Skyrim, and Starfield (through the efforts of modders).