Adrenaline Rush, a Lore-Friendly Explanation.

[Venom Candle]

Picture this: Two young Redguard men are going about their day through the thronging market streets of Whiterun, only to rudely bump into each other shoulder to shoulder, causing one of them to drop his basket of fruit upon the stone pavement. That same irritated Redguard calls back, "Ay, watch where you walkin', Ra'Gada!"

The second Redguard pauses, before facing back to return the scorn, "Ay, what'chu say, Ra'gada?" The air around both young men goes cold as hot heads prevail, a confrontation already beginning as both men find their hands flying to their saber hilts.

Scholars generally define an adrenaline rush as a moment of weakness of willpower, where impulse and ignorance overwhelm the mind of an otherwise logical Redguard. Watch closely, an adrenaline rush is about to unfold now.

Both Redguards draw their respective sabers, brandishing their steel into a locking position, while one can see them staring one another down with a look of tempestuous fury. "Ay ay, what did you say about me, [expletive] Ra'Gada?!" One shouts to his opponent's face, only to be met with a deadly dare, "Ay ay, get slicin', Ra'Gada!"

Caught up in the heat of the adrenaline rush, the Redguard does just that, breaking the blade lock and taking his first swing, before the scene violently explodes into a chaotic weaving of both men swinging their blades in each others' general directions.

Adrenaline rushes are usually unpredictable, but in this example we see that humorously, neither swordsman is making a mark on his target, as both men have their eyes squinted shut and necks turned away as they flail their sword arms into the air and make their swords clash into each other rather uselessly.

This dance goes on for a minute, before the fighting ceases as abruptly as it began. "Hey man, wait. This is stupid." The sudden epiphany is shared by his counterpart, who nods, "Yeah, you right dog. Let's put the curved swords away and go about our day."

Alas, the two Reguards came to their senses a moment too late, as the next and last thing they would hear is a local guard's order to "FREEZE!" just before a volley of arrows was loosened upon them. Reacting too slow, both of the Redguard men would be plucked with a half-dozen arrows each, falling to the ground as their lives were snuffed out too soon.

As unpredictable and chaotic as adrenaline rushes are, there is one thing almost certain. They nearly always result in the tragic fates of all parties involved.

If court stewards marked adrenaline rushes as their unique cases in death reports, they would rank third among leading Redguard causes of death, right behind Dwemer traps and over sweetened alcohols.

In Orc populations, this same behavior pattern can be observed, but those cases go by the moniker of Beserker rages.

I hope this clears up the ambiguity behind the nature of Adrenaline Rush and how it is presented in the games!