Lore:Shimmerene

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  (also spelled Shimerene)  is one of the eight major city-states in the province of the  ,  being situated along the eastern coast of the  . Shimmerene is known as the "City of Lights", for it is a beacon of light amidst the seas that divide the main island and the region of  . As a mercantile port, the city's ports are constantly flowing with transport between the isles, and most overseas trade comes into Summerset from here.    

 
Layout & Geography
Shimmerene is a walled-off city, situated on the eastern coast of the great plains of Summerset, which stretch across the central island. The lands surrounding Shimmerene consists of hills and rivers that flow into the Shimmerene Basin, where the city itself is situated. Along the outskirts of the city are many   ruins, and the ancient   and the accursed estate of   are both located nearby. Just to the west of the city are the legendary vineyards of  , home to Summerset's most exquisite wine. Shimmerene itself is built atop a hill, with steep slopes along the basin. The harbor extends north across the bay, toward the  . The dockyards have various warehouses, made for ship crafting. From the main gate, the city rises to its highest point, from where the   overlooks the city. The main street divides just after the gate; the south leading up to the Monastery and the Kinhouse, and the north descending to the port and the entrance to the Shimmerene Waterworks, a complex system of sewers that run under the entire city. Deep in the sewers is the base of operations for groups of  —outcasts rejected by   society. The gardens of the Kinlord lie along the northern walls of Shimmerene, with a view towards Auridon.  Shimmerene has several neighboring settlements, including   in the west, and   in the southeast. 

History
During the   around  , the city-state of Shimmerene was governed by  , although   had more authority over the city. When   issued her decree of open the borders of Summerset Isle, Kinlady Avinisse was vocal in her rejection of open borders, perceiving the newcomers as a threat.  Although non-Altmer were present in Summerset prior to open borders, they were generally only found in Shimmerene.  Avinisse claimed the illogicality of the decree, saying that it is a well-documented fact that   are more superior than the other races and that they would harm pristine nature of the island. Despite her great disapproval, Shimmerene opened its ports to newcomers from all over the continent. Although she would be going against her Queen's decree, Kinlady Avinisse looked for ways to keep them away from Summerset. 

At the same time, a new Aldarch was named for the Monastery— , a Mer who had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, conversing with Avinisse on dealing with the newcomers. However, Tilcalar had his own plan, as his monks in the Monastery took newcomers to the lower dungeons for torturous experiments. It was revealed that Aldarch Tilcalar was, in fact, the Earl of  , sacrificing newcomers to his Daedric Lord. After this was revealed, Earl Tilcalar was killed in the   to the south of Shimmerene, by a newcomer. Earl Tilcalar was a member of the  , a group of Daedric Cultists who served their Princes in a great plot. Kinlady Avinisse, devastated by this revelation, sought forgiveness from Proxy Queen   of  . At the same time, there was a plot against the  ,  , an expert in the studies of Indoctrination. The plot had eventually involved both Apraxic Mer and the  . This was soon revealed to be another plot from the Court of Bedlam. 

During the   in the  , the city-state of Shimmerene was ruled by  , when it was rivals with the cities of  ,  , and  .  At the same time, the youth of Summerset started to rebel against the hierarchy and the superiority that the High Elves have exhibited throughout the Eras. The movement took various courses of action, ranging from the acceptance of foreign culture to embracing the past and joining groups such as the  . But it came to take a darker turn, as seen in a group known as  . The Beautiful had started as a group of artists that adopted the same mindset as other movements but soon took to much more extreme methods, such as vandalizing the  . Eventually, they opted to attack the living symbols of nobility, with their most gruesome hit was the deadly assassination of the Princess of Shimmerene. The death of the King's daughter had horrified and outraged the public. 

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Notes
Arena was originally conceived as a fighting game featuring a tournament that took the player to each of Tamriel's cities to challenge different gladiatorial teams. According to a file from that stage of development left behind in the final game, Shimmerene's gladiatorial team would have been called "the Titans". 

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