Dwemer Inquiries Dwemer Inquiries is a book series relating to the civilization of the Dwemer . Content . Dwemer Inquiries Vol I . Dwemer Inquiries Vol I Their Architecture and Civilization by Thelwe Ghelein , Scholar Online : Books Skyrim : Books Books Copyrighted by Bethesda Books about Dwemer Online : Lorebooks Online : Reaper ' s March Books Online : Books with Authors < poem > In the Deep Halls , far from Men Forsaken Red Mountain , Twisted Kin Hail the Mind , Hail the Stone Dwarven Pride , Stronger than bone < / poem > It has been my life ' s work to investigate the Dwemer , their dubious history and mysterious banishment . My goal with this text is to share my findings and conclusions based on eighty years spent studying their unique architectural remains . The Migration of the Deep - Elves from their ancestral Dwemereth , now Morrowind , is a generally accepted fact . Recorded history supports this , specifically mentioning the Rourken Clan ' s refusal to join King Dumac in the forming of the First Council , and their subsequent exodus to Hammerfell . The architectural premise is also sound , as the building habits of the Dwarves adapted and changed , albeit slowly and in subtle ways , over time and land . I propose that some of these differences are stylistic as well as practical . Traditional viewpoints suggest that the Vvardenfell Dwemer were the most prolific of their kind . Based on my excavations throughout Skyrim , Morrowind and High Rock , I am not sure that this is the case . While Vvardenfell is almost cluttered with dwarven ruins poking through the surface of the landscape , the construction of those ruins is fundamentally different from the majority of what I ' ve observed elsewhere . Further , as we delve into Vvardenfell ruins , we notice that their internal structure is quite different . While major civic and operational chambers are found near the surface in a Vvardenfell Ruin , that is not typically the case on the Mainland . Minor passageways and storehouse rooms are near the surface , but more important locations don ' t occur until we explore much deeper . Because such major locations are well - hidden in Dwemer Ruins outside of Morrowind , many scholars believed they were in fact not present in ruins outside that province . This premature conclusion led some to believe such sites to be mere outposts . My research has shown this not to be the case . There are a few theories that may explain this difference . Perhaps Clan architects simply had their own styles and preferences when it came to civic planning . This seems only somewhat likely , as Dwarven techniques were based on empirical study , there was likely little room for creative interpretation when it came to building technique . Geological makeup of the terrain almost certainly played a role , especially in a region like Northern Skyrim where the ground near the surface is very rocky and often frozen , versus the volcanic substratum common in Vvardenfell or the ubiquitous aquifers found in Hammerfell . It ' s possible that Dwarven architects in the North were not even able to excavate larger structures until reaching more pliable stratum . This scholar would like to suggest , however , that many structures west of Morrowind were built after 1E420 . When the Clan Rourken left Vvardenfell , it seems evident that several clans broke off to create their own settlements , and chose to live in greater isolation than their Eastern brethren . This theory is particularly fascinating , because it leads me to believe that Dwarven architects may have developed even more elaborate methods of hiding their strongholds over time . This opens the distinct possibility that undisturbed dwarven archaeological sites exist throughout Tamriel , even in southern areas like Cyrodiil or Black Marsh where Dwarves are not believed to have ever had a significant presence . Though we ought not get carried away on flights of fancy , one could extrapolate this logic to suggest that some Dwarven Clans were living among us for much longer than previously believed , perhaps well beyond the disappearance during the War of the Red Mountain in 1E700 . Dwemer Inquiries Vol II . Dwemer Inquiries Vol II Their Architecture and Civilization by Thelwe Ghelein , Scholar In the Deep Halls , far from Men Forsaken Red Mountain , Twisted Kin Hail the Mind , Hail the Stone Dwarven Pride , Stronger than bone The limited written record supports the perception Deep Elves as culturally revering the pursuits of logic and science . This stands in stark contrast to the belief system of most other mer cultures . When we imagine a society structured around such a central ideology , it seems reasonable that prolific scholars , especially in fields such as mathematics , metallurgy or architecture , would be elevated to social status like that of clergy in a more mystically - inclined culture . The idea is supported by a fragment of Dwemeris text recovered from a colony in Skyrim - Irkgnthand - which I believe to be associated with the Clan Rourken . The original Dwemeris and my translation Follow : [ Dwemer writing ] : " Risen by order cousin - of - privilege Cuolec of Scheziline privileged duties . Clanhome building Hoagen Kultorra tradition to hailed World shaper " " To raise granted - cousin Cuolec of privilege with duties for family - home building Hoagen Kultorra < ? > tradition to father Mundus shaper " Some scholars interpret this as evidence of Dwemer worship of Mundus , but I do not agree . My translation of this passage suggests that a respected Dwemer by the name of Cuolec was promoted to a civic position , probably tonal architect . The latter half of the fragment suggests that Cuolec ' s position requires him to build in a specific style . The term Hoagen Kultorra has thus far eluded me , but I believe it may be the name of such a style . It ' s possible there were several styles , differing in their construction principles and typical structures . One earmark of what I believe was the prevalent Dwemer style among Northern clans was a feature I call the Deep Venue . Deep Venues are often characterized as being made up of one or more expansive natural caverns in which several other structures will occur . Structures within the Venue may be carved from the stone itself , or freely erected upon the cavern floor . The largest and most impressive Venues , such as that found in Bthardamz , may even feature roads wide enough for ten large men to walk shoulder - meets - shoulder along it . Arcanex are typically smaller structures . Very few have been properly studied before disruption by grave - robbers or greedy adventurers , but those few undisturbed sites have contained a surprising collection of magical objects such as soul - gem s , alchemical concoctions and magical texts . Some scholars take these as evidence that the Dwemer did , in fact , dabble in the magical arts . Based on what we know of their culture , as well as the fact that most arcanex are minor structures compared to other common fixtures , I would suggest that these were centers of study and nothing more . Perhaps the Dwarves established these Halls as a means to study men and mer , who surely seemed as alien to them as the Dwemer seem to us today ? Great Animoculotories can be found in many Dwarven strongholds . These were the factories where the centurion s and various other constructs were built . I have hoped to study these chambers for clues as to the means by which those mysterious automata are given life , but those same guardians make these especially difficult and dangerous areas to explore . Dwemer Inquiries Vol III . My studies , and this text , have focused heavily on the fact that Dwemer archaeological sites west of Vvardenfell seem to be built at much greater depths than their counterparts near the Red Mountain . I believe there was a specific threshold to which Dwarven excavators would dig before the construction of vital structures would begin . I have referred to this threshold as the " Geocline , " but I have found that to often be redundant with the Deep Venue of a colony . Still , there is some variation in the actual depth of a Deep Venue , whereas the Geocline is always the marker where I reason the City proper begins . Tunnels and chambers at more shallow depths , while often grand in their architectural style , appear to have served little in the way of critical civic purpose . Surplus stores of food , warehouse chambers that may have been used in trading with nearby surface settlements , or barracks for topside patrols are common above the Geocline . These tunnels , I have observed , can meander in a seemingly more random pattern than those planned structures beneath . I hypothesize that this may be due to the unpredictable nature of any excavation , even to a race as clever as the Dwemer . Surely unexpected deposits of stone or geological events could make the effort difficult , and I think that these haphazard tunnels are often the result of the search for suitable substratum to build within . I have found in a small number of ruins reference to a geological anomaly or place known as " FalZhardum Din " . This is intriguing because the term not only appears in a few tablet fragments , but very specifically on ornate metal frames in the deepest reaches of the Strongholds Alftand , Irkgnthand and Mzinchaleft of Skyrim . I have yet to decipher the meaning of these elaborate carvings , but consider it highly strange that they occur in the deepest part of each of these ruin . Risen by order cousin - of - privilege Cuolec of Scheziline privileged duties . Clanhome building Hoagen Kultorra tradition to Hailed World shaper " The most reasonable translation of " FalZhardum Din " I have managed to decipher is " Blackest Kingdom Reaches " , but I cannot imagine what that means . I suspect there may be some pattern I am failing to notice . This creeping doubt has haunted my career in recent years , and I have begun to doubt if I will unravel some grand secret of the Dwarves in my lifetime , though it lies just under my nose - or indeed , under my feet .