Ayleid The Ayleids , also known as the Wild Elves , Heartland High Elves ( or simply Heartland Elves ) , and Saliache , were a race of Mer who ruled over Cyrodiil during the First Era . History . Merethic Era . The Ayleids were one of the descendants of the Aldmer . The Aldmer were an ancient race of Mer who were the descendants of the Ehlnofey . During the middle of the Merethic Era , the Aldmer allegedly left their homeland , known as Aldmeris , and relocated to the Summerset Isles , which is southwest of Tamriel . A short time after the Aldmer settled in the Summerset Isles , many explorers , which notably included Topal the Pilot , began venturing out towards the coastline of Tamriel to map out the area and explore the lands . Later , during the middle of the Merethic Era , some Aldmer groups departed from the Summerset Isles and relocated towards Tamriel . The ones who traveled to pre - modern - day Valenwood became the Bosmer ; the ones who went to pre - modern - day Morrowind became the Chimer ; the ones who stayed in the Summerset Isles eventually became the Altmer ; and the ones who traveled towards pre - modern - day Cyrodiil became the Ayleids , where they established the first empire on the continent . During this time , the Ayleid civilization flourished and expanded . In the Heartlands of Cyrodiil , the Ayleids constructed the White - Gold Tower . The White Gold Tower appeared to be used as a central council chamber that held significance over other capital cities of the Ayleid empire , as its defeat marked the end of the Ayleid civilization . The Ayleids prominently controlled a large swath of land in what is modern - day Cyrodiil . This included at least the forested areas around the Niben river basin , parts of the Valus and Jerall Mountains , and areas west into Colovia . However , they were not ruled , as is often assumed , by a single , powerful central government . By the start of the First Era , a powerful aristocracy had divided the region up into a number of small kingdoms . Modern scholars are aware of at least three , with their capital cities being Lindai , Nenalata , and Miscarcand . The Ayleid empire expanded beyond Cyrodiil , where they established a massive , flourishing empire on Tamriel . This expansive empire existed throughout many parts of Tamriel , which included most of Cyrodiil , as well as different parts of Black Marsh , Valenwood , High Rock and Hammerfell . In Valenwood , great cities such as Haven , Woodhearth , Silvenar and Elden Root were established . In Black Marsh , an Ayleid tribe known as the Barsaebic Ayleids built two great cities , known in the modern era as Gideon and Stormhold . First Era . Alessian Slave Rebellion . About a century into the First Era , a slave woman was born to the humans living on Ayleid - controlled Niben . This slave , who eventually ended up at the now - sacred Ayleid site of Sancre Tor ( " Golden Hill " ) , would receive divine inspiration , and direct divine help , to rouse her fellow slaves and revolt against their masters . She became known to her people as Alessia , the Slave Queen . In 1E 242 , the revolution began . The rebellion coincided with a period of civil war within the Ayleid empire . Alessia and the Nedes were given some help from the Nord s and , due to the Ayleid civil war , help from some of the more radical Ayleid nobles . Many battles took place , including ones at Sancre Tor , Ninendava , Ceyatatar , Narlemae , Celediil , Vahtacen , Sedor , the Bridge of Heldon , and the event of the First Pogrom . The revolution eventually came to an end with the Fall of the White - Gold Tower in 1E 243 . During the battle , Pelinal Whitestrake , one of the leading generals of the Nedic army , fought Umaril the Unfeathered . Both were killed in the fight . With Alessia leading the Nedes , and with the help of the Nords and some of the more radical Ayleid nobles , they defeated the Ayleids and overthrew their kingdoms . They conquered the land in the name of the new Cyrodiilic Empire . The war ended in 1E 243 . As the newly formed Alessian Order began to eliminate the remains of the Ayleid empire , one famous battle that occurred was the Battle of Bravil . Late Ayleid Period . The Late Ayleid Period was one of the last sections of history for the Ayleids . The Late Ayleid Period lasted from 1E 243 to 1E 498 . Even with the Fall of the White - Gold Tower , the Ayleids showed little sign of being defeated . In 1E 361 , the Alessian Order decreed and issued the Alessian Doctrines . The Alessian Doctrines enforced harsh policies upon the Ayleid people . Alessian armies slowly began to eliminate the Ayleid communities one by one . The balance of power between the two factions was upside down , with the Alessians owning complete dominance over the Ayleids . Most Ayleids decided to just pack up and leave Cyrodiil , as their lives were hard in Cyrodiil . The Alessian Order was eradicating the Ayleids in Cyrodiil and forcibly taking down their empire . In addition to defeating the Ayleids themselves , the Alessian Empire destroyed many artifacts , relics and books that were of Ayleid origin . There were some Ayleids who stayed in Cyrodiil who served as teachers and mentors for the human rulers . Ayleid Diaspora . The Ayleid Diaspora began when the Ayleids started to leave Cyrodiil . The Ayleids in Cyrodiil were abandoning their homes to find better lives elsewhere in Tamriel . The ones who traveled north were all killed by the Nords , led by Vrage the Butcher . The ones who went to Black Marsh to join the Barsaebic Tribe were denied admittance into Black Marsh , though most of those who went on the journey to Black Marsh died during the expeditions in Elsweyr . Some journeyed to the Iliac Bay in High Rock , where they joined the Direnni of Balfiera . The Ayleids who went to Valenwood happened to be the most successful of all of the departing Ayleids . The clans of Anutwyll , Vilverin , Talwinque , Bawn and Varondo all traveled to Valenwood to forge a new life for themselves . The native Bosmer of Valenwood welcomed the Ayleids with open arms , as long as the Ayleids adopted aspects of the Green Pact and refrain from harming the forests , which they did . There were varying theories on how the Valenwood Ayleids disappeared from Valenwood . One theory , the Theorem of Disheritage , notably supported by Gelgarad the Velaspid , attempted to explain that the Valenwood Ayleids disappeared because they became unable to breed with each other and could only produce offspring by mating with the local Bosmer . A competing theory was proposed by Doctor Thetis of the Shimmerene Academy . Her theory attempts to explain that the Valenwood Ayleids disappeared because the Ayleids declined on the over - consumption of a beverage made by the Bosmer . The theory also stated that , as the Ayleids were quite vulnerable in their sadness and loss , fell to the Bosmers ' cultural drinks and simply gave up . Within about 400 years of their overthrow , the strongly anti - mer Alessian Order had driven out , or exterminated , most remaining Ayleid settlements . Scholars generally believe that the Ayleid immigrated en masse to Valenwood , and possibly Summerset Isles , where they were integrated into those mer races . There are persistent rumors , which cannot be rejected outright , that wild tribes of pure Ayleid still hide within the Cyrodiilic forests . In any case , the Ayleid abandoned their cities , which have fallen into ruin , though the magic and mechanical traps which were installed near the end of their history still function . Second Era . Ayleids had lived into the Second Era , with credible sightings stating that they had lived in a reclusive tribal society . One of the members of the University of Gwylim was a civilized Ayleid , Tjurhane Fyrre , who was one of the finest sages at the University . He wrote a text on his people , called " The Wild Elves " , though he died in 2E 227 . The last known surviving pure Ayleid was King Laloriaran Dynar . He originally lived during the early first era , after Alessia ' s slave rebellion . Dynar ruled over Nenalata after his father , when it served as a vassal - state of the Alessian Empire . After an ultimatum from the emperor , Dynar was forced to leave Cyrod . When Dynar visited the Hollow City , it was attacked by Molag Bal and he was captured . Dynar remained in Coldharbour for over three millennium before being rescued by the Vestige . He took command of the Fighters Guild , but died in 2E 582 after defending the city . He gave the Vestige his sword as a symbol of trust and friendship in his dying moments . Third and Fourth Era s . In 3E 397 , the Soul of Conflict met with an Ayleid ghost known as Captain Nym after having collected all seven Star Teeth . In life , Captain Nym commandeered an airship which had originally captured the Teeth , though it crashed into the glacier of Glacier Crawl long ago . After the hero ended Pergan Asuul and Jagar Tharn ' s plans to control the Umbra ' Keth , Nym gifted the hero with the Star Coif , a very valuable lightweight helmet . During the Oblivion Crisis in 3E 433 , the Auroran - Ayleid known as Umaril re - emerged . Umaril was later slain by the Hero of Kvatch after the Knights of the Nine were reformed . No living Ayleids have been seen or reported during the Third and Fourth Eras , and as of the Fourth Era , scholars presume that they are extinct . Culture . Appearance . Much like the Dwemer , what little is known about the appearance of the Ayleid comes primarily from their architecture and early writings . Most Ayleid Ruins include at the very least one statue , presumably of an Ayleid warrior , usually holding a sword aloft . The general appearance looks similar to that of the Altmer , which most scholars consider fairly likely , given the Altmer ' s concerted effort to maintain a " pure " Aldmeri appearance . A brief description given in volume 5 , Second Seed , of 2920 describes them as " darker than Altmer , but lighter than Dunmer , " suggesting a complexion similar to that of the Bosmer . Ayleids in are identical in appearance to Altmer , with skin tones ranging from white to dark yellow , though with eye colors such as blue , yellow and green . Society . Ayleid society was heavily centered in magic / arcane arts , and their people were particularly skilled in the arcane . Even as all Mer were naturally skilled in the arcane arts , Ayleid society focused on the civilization ' s advancement in magic . Magic was an important part of Ayleid culture and society , and their people were particularly skilled in it . The Ayleids were able to preserve many of the ancient runes , Dawn Era magic , and lore of the Ehlnofey . The Ayleids lived in a tribal society , with each " tribe " being different from the next . They were notable for building the Imperial City . At one point , the Ayleids controlled the entirety of the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil , and enslaved the Cyrodiilic and Nordic populations ( which at that point were both part of the same prototypical race of men ) . During this time , the Ayleids made great strides in the arcane arts . The downfall of the Ayleid civilization was a combination of cultural hubris and revolution fomented amongst their slaves . With the blessing of the Aedra , the slave Alessia led the revolt that resulted in the destruction of the Ayleid civilization . The surviving Ayleids frequently showed up as civil servants to the nobility in the Alessian empire , or fled to Valenwood and interbred with the Bosmer . The last known King of the Ayleids was the ruler of the city of Nenalata who controlled eastern Cyrodiil . During the height of their civilization , the Ayleid empire existed anywhere in Tamriel , except for Skyrim , Morrowind and the Summerset Isles . After their downfall during the First Era , many of their cities fell into ruin . Many would - be treasure hunters have died trying to plunder these lost ruins of the Ayleids . In Stros M ' Kai , the Ayleids created a powerful relic powered by souls . By the First Era and Second Era , the Ayleids were driven into a state many would regard as " primitive , " hence the term Wild Elves , and lived deep within the forests of Cyrodiil , though little is still known of modern Ayleids and their culture . Their tribes apparently possessed wildly disparate cultures , but shared a thread of xenophobia , likely remaining from the Alessian Reformation when Ayleidic culture was nearly destroyed . The last reported sighting of an Ayleid occurred nearly a thousand years before the Third Era . It is unknown whether a few Ayleids still survive in the wilds of Cyrodiil , or whether their ancient race finally expired and passed into memory . Language and Writing System . Of the Ayleid language and writing system , much was known about it and many words , letters and ancient texts have been translated as a result of deep research and delving into Ayleid Ruins . The Ayleid language and writing system was very similar to the Aldmeri Language , just like the languages of the other races of Mer . Origins . The Ayleid language was extremely similar to other Mer languages and writing systems , due to the fact that all Mer descend from the Aldmer . Because of this , the Ayleid language shares many terms and words with other Elven languages , such as the shared Ayleid and Dunmeri word , " Bal , " which means stone . Religion . The Ayleids held a close relationship with the Daedric Princes , and even worshipped them . The Ayleids of Delodiil notably worshiped Meridia , who was commonly referred to as Merid - Nunda . Delodiil ' s rival city - state was Abargarlas , whose people notably worshiped Molag Bal . The Ayleids of Varsa Baalim notably worshiped Mehrunes Dagon , and the people of Bisnensel worshiped Hermaeus Mora . It was implied that they used the Daedric magic to increase their strength to the point where they could conquer the Cyrodiilic and Nordic races . This could have been a contributing factor to the Aedra giving their aid to the human races against the Ayleids to help destroy or otherwise cripple Daedric influence in Nirn . The Nefarivigum was an ancient Daedric artifact of Mehrunes Dagon . The Ayleids coveted this artifact , so a city was built around the artifact so they could use it . There were some Ayleids who also worshiped the Aedra . The Ayleids worshiped Magnus , the God of Magic , as well as Auri - El . Statues were built in their cities to honor both Gods . Architecture . Ayleid cities were built partly above and partly below the surface of the land . Ayleid architecture appears to be a whitish rock , similar to Snow Elf architecture . Ayleid architecture was also integrated with magical artifacts as well , including Great Welkynd Stone s , which were large variations of Welkynd Stone s , which were used to power cities and increase the power of the people ' s enchantments . Many statues were built by the Ayleids in their cities to honor the Gods they worshiped . This included statues dedicated to the Aedric Gods Magnus and Auri - El . The White - Gold Tower , the central spire of the Imperial City in Cyrodiil , was originally the central temple of the Ayleids . After the fall of the Ayleid empire in the First Era , it served as the Imperial Palace for the Tamrielic Empire . The rest of their capital city was either razed or buried beneath the Imperial City . It was unknown why the Nedes left the White Gold Tower alone during the Alessian Slave Rebellion . Magic . Magic was an extremely important aspect of the Ayleids and of their society . They developed magics far more advanced and powerful than any other at the time . The Ayleids were notable for developing the arcane art of Alteration . In terms of both science and magic , their people believed in the four elements of Altmer religion , which states that Nirn was composed of four basic elements : earth , water , air , and light . While modern natural philosophy states that Nirn is composed of four basic elements : earth , water , air , and fire , which they recognized , they believed the most important form of light was starlight . The Ayleids regarded fire as a weak and corrupt form of light . Instead , the Ayleids regarded starlight as a fundamentally significant form of light . For Nirn and its people , it was common knowledge that stars were linked to the plane of Aetherius . Aetherius was the source of all magical power and all things magical , so light from the stars was the most powerful and grand of all magical powers . Sometimes , objects called Aetherial fragments come from Aetherius to Mundus , specifically Nirn . There were two known types of Aetherial fragments : Meteoric Iron and Meteoric Glass . Many , if not all , of the magical devices and technology created by Ayleid engineers and architects were made of meteoric iron and meteoric glass . One of the magical devices created by the Ayleids were Ayleid Wells . These Ayleid Wells were scattered across Cyrodiil , and were not associated with any Ayleid cities , settlements or other sites . Made from Meteoric Iron , Ayleid Wells were designed to harvest and collect magical power from starlight . The Wells were located at the meeting point of ancient lines of magical power , though this was merely theorized by modern Ayleid scholars . For mages , and even for anyone without any magical talent , they could draw magicka from the Wells to restore their own sources of magicka . When people worked with Ayleid Wells , no ritual , basic academic or arcane knowledge was required to harvest the magicka , and were designed to serve people who were not skilled in the magical / arcane arts . When they do finally drain , the Wells replenish at midnight when the stars are out . Once recharged , they radiate some of the magical power back into the sky . This was most likely a cultural , religious , or ritualized magical significance . Another Ayleid device is the Welkynd Stone . Welkynd Stones were designed and used as storage devices for magical resources and magicka reserves , and to power the magicka itself ; Mages and enchanters could restore their own magicka reserves . The Ayleids had their own laws and knowledge for storing , removing and using Welkynd Stones . Currently , in the modern era , anybody who did not have proper knowledge of using Welkynd Stones would see these stones crumble to dust after use . A variant of the Welkynd Stones , known as Great Welkynd Stones , were exceptionally large Ayleid devices made of enchanted Meteoric Glass . At the heart of each Ayleid city , a Great Welkynd Stone was the source of the city ' s power , magical resources and magical enchantments . These great , grand stones were directly connected to the lesser stones within a city , which restored and maintained their power as the stones worked together to power the city . Yet another Ayleid device were Varla Stone s , which were made of Meteoric Glass and were used to enable trained and even untrained enchanters to add and restore magical energy to any enchanted items and magical artifacts . The Varla Stones were of great value and utility , and though they were quite rare , small and easily concealed , diligent , patient , careful and focused explorers could still come across these rare Ayleid devices in any Ayleid Ruin . Ayleid mages experimented with magic and technology that was capable of absorbing lightning bolts and converting them into magical energy . They possessed a specific way of absorbing magical energy from lightning , which was a spell known as the Finger of the Mountain . A magical pillar was also required to extract the magical energy from the lightning . Artifacts . The Ayleids produced many artifacts , both regular and unique , that were heavily based in magic and the arcane arts . The impact these Ayleid artifacts had in the future on the Ayleid scholar community was significant ; many scholars and adventurers , both single and in groups , dared to go deep into ancient Ayleid ruins to discover these lost treasures . Possibly one of the most famous and renowned of all Ayleid artifacts was the Amulet of Kings . The Amulet of Kings , also known as the Chim El - Adabal , was an amulet worn by Cyrodiilic Emperors of the bloodline of Saint Alessia . The symbol of the Imperial Empires of Tamriel , the Red Diamond , stemmed from the amulet and became the royal seal of the Septim Dynasty much later . Some theories report that the amulet is a Soul Gem of Ayleid origin . The Ayleid Crown of Lindai and the Ayleid Crown of Nenalata were two unique and powerful light Ayleid helmets bearing powerful enchantments . The Crown of Lindai could resist magic from 10 % - 35 % , fortify Illusion from 5 to 15 points and fortify alteration 5 to 15 points . The Crown of Nenalata could reflect spells from 8 % - 25 % , fortify alteration 5 to 15 points and fortify conjuration 5 to 15 points .