Isle of Summerset The Isle of Summerset ( also referred to as the Isle of Sumurset or simply Summerset ) is the largest island in the Summerset archipelago , located west of Auridon and the continent , and includes the capital city of Alinor . The Summerset Isle is a green and pleasant land of fertile farmlands , woodland parks , and ancient towers and manors . Notable locations . Alinor . Human traders were only allowed at its ports , and they described the city as " made from glass or insect wings . " Less fantastic accounts come from the Imperial emissaries of the Reman Dynasty , which describe the city as straight and glimmering , " a hypnotic swirl of ramparts and impossibly high towers , designed to catch the light of the sun and break it to its component colors , which lies draped across its stones until you are thankful for nightfall . " The Temple of Auri - El is located in the city of Alinor . Internal conflicts between Alinor and Lillandril during the First and Second Era s often sparked into full war . Cloudrest . Cloudrest , atop Eton Nir , the highest mountain in Summerset , is a decidedly odd mixture of architectural styles , with buildings like strangler vines , built on top of other , older structures . The oldest of all ruins there , and in a few isolated spots throughout the island , are made of coral , which must have been carried many , many miles away from the sea . The material and the style of the ruins strongly suggest that the Sload may have once counted Summerset as a part of their kingdom of Thras . The Crystal Tower . When the Aldmer came together as a people to create the Crystal Tower , it was not a monument to any king or god , but rather to the spirit of the elven people , living and dead . Within the glittering walls of the Tower are housed the graves of the early Aldmeri settlers , preserved forever as a lasting symbol of the power of the people for that brief moment in history , fully unified . It was said that the southern tip of the Dragon ' s Teeth , which stretches from the ice covered mounts of High Rock to the wooded forests of Valenwood , could be seen on the horizon from the top parapet of the Tower . The treasury of the Crystal Tower and the private collections in Summerset offer suggestions of creatures the early Aldmer may have met in their new home , portrayed in sculpture and the famed Ramoran Tapestries . These tapestries show how untouched and beautiful the mainland was considered to be by the Aldmer . Translations of tapestries in the Crystal Tower tell the tale how the Maormer were likely separated from the ancient Aldmer not in Summerset , but in their original homeland of Aldmeris . Among the treasures of the Crystal Tower are the crude but fascinating maps of Topal the Explorer , his legacy to all Tamriel . Inside the Tower , the first impression is of whiteness . The floors , walls , and ceilings are all white and radiate light . Footsteps make a soft crunching noise on the rough floor surface . The inside consists of winding halls , long rooms , long winding stairways , and long pools of water with fountains that sparkle in the light . The Tower is also famous for it ' s animal pens . The Great Library at the Tower has thousands of books , including research on flowers , herbs and plants throughout Tamriel . There are cleverly concealed passageways that lead well away from the Tower . The Crystal Tower was destroyed during the Oblivion Crisis as legions of daedra breached its walls . Creatures . Sun Birds of Alinor . The Sun Birds of Alinor were large birds made out of the Sun . Their expeditions to Aetherius are among the most famous attempts in history , although they were eventually dissolved due to the untenable expenditures required to reach magic by magicka . Canah . The Canah is the exotic bird of Summerset Isle . They are bred for their beauty . Eagle . For the Altmer , the high - soaring eagle represents their ancestors the Aedra , who came from the heavens and were trapped in physical form by the creation of Nirn . A young eaglet was found atop the statue of Topal the Explorer on the night of Princess Ayrenn ' s disappearance . Gheateus . Gheateus ( also known as Gheatus ) are a variant of Fey ( Faerie ) considered to be godlike beings . According to legend , Gheateus appears as a man or a group of men who are formed by the earth , and they are said to be surrounded by a host of minor Sylphim . Illyadi . Illyadi ( also known as Ilyadi ) are a variant of Faerie . According to legend , they were giants taller than trees , with eyes that cover their head . Welwa . Legend says that the Welwa were strange , holy beasts of horns and savage teeth , depicted as ravagers and saviors of the land . Goblins . As Aldmer society grew , social stratification increased and a hierarchy of classes began to form , which is still largely enforced in Summerset to this day . At the bottom of this hierarchy were the beasts , such as the enslaved goblin s , who the Aldmer used to perform the jobs beneath the dignity of the very least of them . Sload . The material and the style of the ruins of Cloudrest strongly suggest that the Sload may have once counted Summerset as a part of their kingdom of Thras . Trolls . Troll guards were kept at the Crystal Tower . They supposedly kept the rats down .