Dwarves , v1 Content . Let me begin by correcting a common misconception . The proper term to use when referencing the ancient lost race of Tamriel is " Dwemer . " It is a word whose meaning is roughly translated to " people of the deep " in the common tongue , and whose use has been widely replaced by the more ubiquitous nomenclature , " dwarves . " I would like stated that I use the name " dwarves " in lieu of the more accurate term in these books out of sympathy for my readership , whom I can safely assume does not have the breadth of scholarship that 200 years of study has given me . With that small point finished , let us begin our discussion on the dwarves by focusing on the indisputable artifacts they have left behind : their architectural and cultural designs . Unlike the more controversial areas of dwarven scholarship , the construction of dwarven cities and relics are well - founded due to the plethora of samples taken from the Ruin these peoples have left behind . My own home city , Markarth , was originally one such ruin , and I can state from first - hand experience that all dwarven designs share a set of common principles that we can use to determine true artifacts from fakes and delineate patterns and methodologies that were important to their craftsmen . First of all , we can say for certain that dwarven artisans favored stone , at least as far as their buildings were concerned . This is no surprise . With notable exceptions , the vast majority of dwarven architecture is found underground or carved out of mountains . It is possible , although only theoretically , that the dwarves first mastered masonry as a race quite early , and later examples of metalwork were added on to much earlier stone designs as the dwarves began to master more complex tools . Regardless , the foundation of all known dwarven ruins is built on stonework , and the structure of dwarven stonework is sharp , angular and intensely mathematical in nature . By a simple count , there are hundreds if not thousands of samples of dwarven buildings made of precise square shapes , and far fewer examples of discretely rounded or curved stonework , leading us to believe that early dwarves favored trusted , well - calculated designs based on angled lines rather than riskier , more imprecise calculations based on arcs and curves . This comparatively simple tradition of stonecutting has nevertheless resulted in buildings that are as structurally sound today as they were hundreds of years ago , making the works of our most skilled masons today seem like child ' s play in comparison . Metalwork as far as we know is the primary method used to make almost all dwarven crafts . We cannot , however , discount more easily destructible materials such as clay , paper , and glass from outside the scope of dwarven craftsmanship , but given the tendency of dwarven design to favor the long - lasting over the fragile , we can safely assume that at the very least metal was a heavy preference . And the metal used in all so - far - discovered dwarven relics is entirely unique to their culture . No other race has replicated whatever process was used to create dwarven metal . Although it can be easily mistaken for bronze - and in fact many forgers of dwarven materials use bronze to create their fake replicas - it is most definitely a distinct type of metal of its own . I have personally seen metallurgists attempt to combine several different types of steel and common and rare ores in order to imitate dwarven metal ' s exclusive properties , but the only method that has been successful is to melt down existing dwarven metallic scraps and start over from there .