Lore:Chimer

The   (literally, the People of the North ), also called the Changed Folk,  Velothi, or Changed Ones''',  were the  i tribes of dissidents who abandoned the ways of Summerset Isle and embarked on a great exodus to Morrowind.   They followed the prophet Veloth, who spoke to them on behalf of  , Prince of Plots, and two other "Good  ". The teachings of Veloth and the Daedra spawned a new culture on   and a new people, sparking the period of the High Velothi culture. They were dynamic, ambitious, long-lived Elven clans devoted to fundamentalist ancestor worship.  They appeared like other elves, but their skin was a darker shade of pale gold than the  .   of the Tribunal apparently maintained her appearance as a Chimer (as did Vivec, partially) despite the Curse which changed the Chimer into the  .   

History
The history of the Chimer begins with the Velothi dissident movement in the Summerset Isle. Some sources seem to differ on when exactly this happened. Some say it took place in the Late Middle  ,  and others trace it back to the  .  One source says it took place before the shattering of  ,  and another says that it was after   and others had explored mainland  . 

The Exodus
Trinimac, strongest of the Altmeri ancestor spirits, fought enemies of  i society both without and within. As such, Trinimac and his followers became engaged in trying to halt the  i dissident movement.  Boethiah, the "Devourer of Trinimac",  took exception to the "lies" Trinimac had been spreading about Lorkhan.  He tricked Trinimac, ate him, assumed his form, and the dung he excreted became  .  The followers of Boethiah and Trinimac rubbed this excrement on themselves to change their skins.  It was the followers of Boethiah (i.e. the followers of Veloth) who became the Chimer.  Altmeri propaganda portrayed this as a lesson on the dangers of Velothi influence,  while Velothi propaganda regarded Trinimac's transformation as punishment for attempting to interfere with their exodus. Malacath himself derided this narrative as being too "literal-minded" (implying the essence of the story, while metaphorical, is somewhat accurate). 

High Velothi Culture
So, the Chimer departed. They credited the Good Daedra with teaching them the principles of their new way of life.  Worship of   such as  , disappeared from their legends.  They typically associate most of the things they learned with Boethiah, but Mephala is credited with teaching them the ways of evasion and assassination, and   with teaching them how to be different from the Altmer.   The Good Daedra also warned the Chimer of the "Bad Daedra", such as  , who sought to spoil Chimeri "purity".  In their new homeland, which they called  , they quickly came into conflict with the  s,  s and the  .   With the Dwemer, especially, territorial disputes combined with religious animosity created a great deal of conflict.  Historians blame the Chimer for provoking these conflicts.  Regardless of who started it, the Chimer were generally on the losing end of these conflicts. Though they wielded great magic and had fine warriors, the Chimer were a small group, and the Dwemer had an incredible technological advantage.  

The Late Merethic Era saw the precipitous decline of Velothi culture. Some Chimer settled in villages near declining and abandoned ancient Velothi towers. During this period, Velothi high culture disappeared on the island of  . The earliest Dwemer Freehold colonies date from this period, suggesting they were created to secure Dwemeri lands from Chimeri incursions. Degenerate Velothi devolved into tribal cultures which, in time, evolved into the modern Great Houses of Morrowind, or persisted as the barbarian Ashlanders. 

The Curse
Around  ,  the  s under High King   conquered Resdayn, making it part of the  .  The Nords' use of the   against the Chimer made them practically unstoppable,  although some blame the god   for favoring the Nords.  They would remain under the Nords' heel until around  , when they joined forces with the Dwemer to repulse the invaders.  The friendship between Chimer leader   and the Dwemer leader   forged the basis for an alliance between the races under the First Council, leading to almost three hundred years of peace. Eventually, a dispute over the Dwemer's discovery, the  , led to the  , which culminated in the  . A few years later, the betrayal of an oath by the   led to the Curse: the Chimer's skin turned black as ash, and their eyes became red. The Chimer ceased to exist, and the days of the Dunmer began.  

Notes
The term "Velothi" can be used to refer to any followers of Veloth.   However, by the  , it was also often used to refer to former   who had abandoned their nomadic lives in favor of the Great Houses of Morrowind. 
Sources sometimes refer to the Chimer as the Dunmer in events dated before the Battle of Red Mountain, before the Dunmer actually existed.    
One of the masterpieces of the great artist   depicted Veloth leading the Chimer into Morrowind. 

See Also
Chimer Names
For a list of notable Chimer, see here.
 

Books
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

References