Elf/TES

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The Bosmer are the Elven clan-folk of Valenwood, a forested province in southwestern Tamriel. In the Empire, they are often referred to as Wood Elves, but Bosmer, Boiche, or the Tree-Sap people is what they call themselves. Bosmer rejected the stiff, formal traditions of Aldmeri high culture, preferring a more romantic, simple existence in harmony with the land and its wild beauty and creatures. They are relatively nimble and quick in body compared to their more "civilized" Altmeri cousins (who often look down upon the Bosmer as unruly and naive). Their agility makes them well-suited as scouts and thieves. However, they are also a quick-witted folk, and many pursue successful careers in scholarly pursuits or trading. Bosmer live two to three times as long as humans; with a 200-year-old Bosmer being old and a 300-year-old Bosmer being very, very old. Though they are considered less influential than some of their Elven brethren, the Bosmer are also relatively prone to producing offspring with 12 being considered average number of children in the family. As a result, they outnumber all other Mer on Tamriel.
The best archers in all of Tamriel, the Bosmer snatch and fire arrows in one continuous motion; they are even rumored to have invented the bow. They have many natural and unique abilities; notably, they can command simple-minded creatures and have a nearly chameleon-like ability to hide in forested areas. Many in the forests of Valenwood follow the tenets of the Green Pact. These "Green Pact Bosmer" are religiously carnivorous and cannibalistic, and do not harm the vegetation of Valenwood, though they are not averse to using wooden or plant-derived products created by others.
== History[edit] ==
Aldmer settlers purportedly arrived in Valenwood long before the First Era. They are remembered as some of the first of the Aldmer to leave Old Ehlnofey. These settlers found the forests of Valenwood, or the Green, so dense and so inhabited by beasts that they could not hope to tame it, so they had to fight and adapt just to become predators instead of prey. Their adaption to life in Valenwood is believed to have led to the creation of the Bosmer. It is said that the city of Arenthia is named after their first King.
=== Origin[edit] ===
: The Boiche Elves were of the Earth Bones who most hearkened to Jephre and his greensongs. They did not build a Tower, they grew it, a great graht-oak whose roots sprang from a Perchance Acorn. And this was their Stone. And because the Acorn might perchance have been elsewhere, thus was Green-Sap manifold and several. And each could walk. — Aurbic Enigma 4: The Elden Tree
The Heart of Valenwood
The earliest days of the Bosmer are lost in legend. Some speak of the Ooze, the shape-shifting formlessness from which they came before the Green Pact with Y'ffre. More obscure legends also suggest that not all Bosmer agreed to the Green Pact, and others wished to keep their shape-shifting abilities. According to legend, Y'ffre turned the Ooze into a kind of purgatory state for these individuals, where they would be stricken from Y'ffre's story upon death and unable to interact with any world or afterlife. Eventually, these dissenters were overcome by the other Bosmer faithful to Y'ffre. These "Oathbreakers" were then buried in Ouze so that they could be imprisoned and protected until the time of renewal. There's some suggestion that early Bosmer were known for intermarrying with humans.
The Khajiiti Origin story shares similarities, talking about shapeless beings which were given shape by Y'ffer. (The Khajiiti spelling of Y'ffre) The Khajiiti origin story tells of Azurah taking some of Nirni's shapeless children and turning them into Khajiit, and Y'ffer learning of this and telling Nirni of what Azurah had done. Seeking retribution for her changed and now lost children, Nirni made the land the Khajiit inhospitable. To separate her beloved children from those of Azurah, she allowed Y'ffer to change those who remained so that they would always be of the mer, and never beasts, and named them Bosmer.
Valenwood, the land of the Bosmer
Another legend is that the Boiche Elves, made from the Earthbones that followed Jephre, grew the first great Graht-oak the out of the Perchance Acorn, which would become Tower of Green-Sap. Due to the nature of the Acorn being, perchance, elsewhere, many different Green-Saps sprung in many different forms, forming the walking Graht-Oak forests of the Valenwood. Each one told its own stories of the Green, the forest home of the "Boiche-become-Bosmer". Around the time of the Alessian Slave Rebellion circa 1E 243, the Ayleid sorcerer Anumaril converted the Perchance Acorn of the Elden Root Graht-Oak into a Definite Acorn, which prevented Elden Root from walking and finally gave a Green-Sap a single, definite form. He would further attempt to convert this Green-Sap into a new, singular White-Gold, but due to the Perchance nature of the Bosmeri Tower, he would never succeed.
Anumaril was one of many Ayleid refugees who fled to Valenwood during the "Ayleid Diaspora" which coincided with the slave revolt. However, Ayleids had been migrating to Valenwood even before that. These migrants all agreed to adopt aspects of the Green Pact and to refrain from harming the forest (unlike Anumaril, of course). The establishment of the White-Gold Tower by the Ayleids in the Middle Merethic Era brought increased trade to the Bosmer, and cities like Woodhearth, Haven, and Silvenar flourished. The ancient Ayleid site of Hectahame is home to the Heart of Valenwood, a magnificent tree of immense power which stands as the physical symbol of the soul of Valenwood. However, around the time when the Ayleids first came to Valenwood, a necromancer twisted the power of the Heart and used it to raise an undead army, forcing the Ayleids to seal off Hectahame, along with the Heart, in order to contain the horde. Ayleids and Bosmer during these early days had to fend off numerous savage attacks upon Valenwood by the Maormer.
Though they found sanctuary in Valenwood, the Ayleids who migrated there seemed to fade from history. For reasons which are still debated by scholars, they apparently had little lasting impact on Bosmeri culture beyond imparting some stonework and masonry techniques.
=== The First Era[edit] ===
Eventually, the Bosmer would be united under the leadership of King Eplear, whose conquest of the wilderness and founding of the Camoran Dynasty heralded the start of the First Era. They made a formal trade treaty with the Alessian Empire in 1E 340, though it would only last for several decades before breaking down into on-and-off border skirmishes with Colovia for most of the First Era.
The earliest known Wild Hunt occurred in 1E 369, which ended with the death of the Nord High King Borgas. This assassination can be viewed as an act of self-defense, though perhaps proactive, as Borgas had been journeying to Cyrodiil to rally support for a joint war against Valenwood. Another Wild Hunt would not occur again until the Third Era, though whether one or more occurred then is not clear. After the Bosmer were devastated by the Thrassian Plague in 1E 2417, they were absorbed by the Second Empire. The Empire, in their usual fashion, divided power in Valenwood among several districts to ensure they would not unite against Imperial rule.
In 1E 2920, the last year of the First Era, on the 19th of Sun's Dawn, Molag Bal destroyed the town of Gilverdale in Grahtwood (eastern Valenwood). This prompted Sotha Sil, the living wizard-mystic god of the Dunmer, to negotiate an agreement with several Daedric Princes to forestall further such acts, though the details of this agreement are still unknown.
=== The Second Era[edit] ===
In 2E 406, a salacious scandal rocked Valenwood: the sleepy trading post of Cormount of Grahtwood was likely home to numerous potential heirs of the Camoran Dynasty, as Camoran rulers had evidently been journeying to the secluded town for untold years to engage in extramarital relations. Cormount's population nearly doubled in a week, and weddings became a daily occurrence for months, as many Bosmer sought to sire children with a noble lineage despite the ignoble circumstances. The news even brought many Bosmer who had never lived in Valenwood back to their spiritual home. These migrants, who largely came from Cyrodiil and thus did not follow the Green Pact, were shocking to the established Bosmer of Grahtwood, and tensions brewed for years as a result. Finally, in 2E 420, the migrants' village, New Joy, was burned to the ground for provocations that have been lost to history. The incident eventually inspired the formation of the Blacksap Movement in 2E 489, a Cormount-based cultural organization which hoped to formalize the Bosmeri approach to the Green Pact and thereby prevent any further tragic misunderstandings.
With the fall of the Empire in 2E 430, the regional powers went about warring among themselves, and Maormer pirates were able to get a foothold along the coast which they used to harass the Altmer of Summerset Isle.
The symbol of the Aldmeri Dominion
During the Alliance War circa 2E 582, the Bosmer became part of the Aldmeri Dominion, along with their allies the Altmer and the Khajiit. The alliance was rocky, though the Thalmor Committee on Alliance Relations encouraged tolerance of the Bosmer's cultural eccentricities to help keep the Dominion together. Elden Root was made the capital of the Dominion, and drew many new migrants as a result (this also became the impetus for plans to establish a gladiatorial arena in the city). Many Bosmer saw the Dominion as their only chance at survival. However, many others remained resentful of the alliance, believing the Dominion had "polluted" Valenwood. Resentment may have also festered due to the "Massacre at Cormount", wherein the Grahtwood city was apparently razed by Dominion soldiers utilizing particularly offensive tactics.
In 2E 830, to secure their border from attack, the Altmer, using an old treaty and encroachment from Colovia for justification, invaded Valenwood and reestablished the Aldmeri Dominion. Details on the circumstances leading up to this are disputed, but they formed the Thalmor and apparently brought peace to Valenwood until the Dominion was absorbed by the Third Empire of Tiber Septim. During the War of Rihad in 2E 862, Colovian armies employ the Bosmer as archers, though they proved to be prone to desertion.
=== The Third Era[edit] ===
The Camorans, who had managed to survive as a Bosmeri power, were made rulers again and led the Bosmer through 250 years of peace. In 3E 249, a pretender to the Camoran throne, the Camoran Usurper, led an army of undead and mercenaries which brought devastation throughout Valenwood and most of the western coast of Tamriel until being defeated in 3E 267. Since then, the Bosmer have become more isolationist, traditionalist, and distrusting of central authorities, and this political weakness has led to significant losses of territory to their neighbors.
== Culture[edit] ==
=== Art and Architecture[edit] ===
A Bosmeri hunting camp in Cyrodiil (Blades)
Depictions of Bosmeri skull and bone decorations
The Green Pact has had an enormous impact on Bosmeri artwork. Their walls are often decorated with skulls and bones. It forces their architects to take great care in their work, apparently strengthening their craftsmanship. Inside tree hollows and residences, hides are stretched out over frames of bones to form partitions. Traditional wooden homes can be found close to rivers and the coast, where imported lumber is easy to find and cheap to purchase. More of these types of buildings can be found on the forest floor of cities like Elden Root or Silvenar, typically to house foreigners like the Altmer, but Bosmer cities in the Green are more well-known for the many homes scattered throughout the canopy of the trees.
Many "citified tree-folk" favor a life among the branches, and have woven them together to form limbed pathways without harming the trees. Trails of thick, living vines anchor dozens of platforms that carry goods and people among the graht-oaks. These platforms are hoisted by strong, often foreign laborers. Bone, resin, and sinew are employed by the Bosmer in a plethora of ways, including bridge design. A secondary market in such scraps allows the tree-dwellers to recycle their animal waste by simply tossing it to the ground below, where it is scavenged and reworked into a variety of items. What is not scavenged is absorbed by the roots of the trees and used to keep the settlement healthy. These cities are grown by Bosmer Greenspeakers, who use rituals of speech or song to grow entire villages in just a few days. This magic can also be used to fashion wooden items, presumably without violating the Green Pact. Below ground, the trees share a common root system which delivers hot sap into each hut to keep them warm.
Like the Nords, the Bosmer rely heavily on stylized, often interlocking natural motifs in their architecture, crafts, and clothing. However, while the Nords emphasize animals, Bosmeri designs are mainly floral. Since the Bosmer believe that a species' form is a sacred gift from Y'ffre, each species is depicted by a particular, idealized motif which represents the ur-form it was given by Y'ffre. Thus, while there a great plethora of designs in Bosmeri artwork, there is very little room for variation in these designs. Seemingly inconsequential details are rigidly scrutinized, and those which deviate from the norm are looked down upon as plain "wrong".
=== Weaponry[edit] ===
Due to the proscriptions of the Green Pact, forges are rare in Valenwood, and metal weapons have never been widespread among the Bosmer. They typically utilize bone clubs, or else axes and spears with blades of stone or obsidian. Their composite horn bows are arguably the finest in Tamriel. In coastal towns, imported metal weapons are more common, and Altmeri tutelage in these areas has benefited many Bosmeri swordsmen. However, Altmer who are schooled in "Proper Conflict", as they call their system of swordsmanship, typically refuse to adapt their techniques to the needs of their shorter cousins, and Bosmer students are typically less attentive to the finer philosophical points of the lessons, thus the experience has often proven to be mutually exasperating.
By the age of fourteen, Bosmer youth are typically proficient enough with the bow to accompany hunting parties. Long-distance archers are known as Jaqspurs. It is their style of draw, "snatching and releasing in one continuous motion", which has made the Bosmer famous as archers. Their traditional bows are crafted from horn and sinew. Strings are also made of sinew; Khajiiti gut is said to work best, and is thus prized among Valenwood archers. Bosmeri arrows are carved from bone, and fletched with the feathers of various bird species. They believe the source of bone used influences the characteristics of the arrow. Mammoth bone arrows are thought to strike with enough force to knock down a target. Bird bone arrows fly faster and more accurately. Senche-tiger bone arrows deal extra damage. Trials by Imperial observers have been unable to replicate these alleged effects. Upon hearing this, the Bosmer merely cluck their tongues and smile.
=== Fashion[edit] ===
The Bosmer have a sense of fashion that may seem strange to some of Tamriel's other inhabitants. For example, Wood Elves in the Second Era thought that shawls made of blue bunting feathers were the height of fashion, while people from most other cultures perceived them as tacky. The Pod-Singers wear clothes made entirely out of animal leather and quills. On the whole, Wood Elves prefer clothing that allows their skin to breathe, and think covering oneself from head-to-toe doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Leather is a common component in Bosmer clothing: doeskin, chamois, crocodile skin—if it has hide, it's free game for leather. Their gravitation towards leather doesn't keep them away from fabric; wool is also a component in Bosmeri stitchwork.
Beading is a common accent in Bosmer fashion. Turquoise, sea-beads, and even iridescent deep-forest beetle shells give clothing extra flair. Bone and antlers are also used to accent clothing and armor.
=== Language[edit] ===
; Ghul
: Monster
; Graht
:
; Jagga
: Drink made from fermented pig milk
; Jaqspur
: Long-Distance Archer	
; Meh Ayleidion
: "The One Thousand Benefits of Hiding"
; Mora
: Wood
; Rotmeth
: Fermented pig milk
; Unthrappa
: Atonement
=== Food[edit] ===
: Main Article: Bosmer Cuisine
The Bosmer are bound by the terms of the Green Pact to not harm the Valenwood. The Bosmer do not eat anything made from plant life; fruits are only allowed if they have already fallen from the tree, and the seeds must be replanted, lest they face the wrath of the forest. As such, their recipes tend to include animal products. The Green Pact is interpreted differently depending on the tribe - foodstuffs such as fruits that fell from the trees, dairy products, honey, mushrooms, and insects are eaten with zest by all but the most ultra-zealous of Pact Bosmer. Ritualistic cannibalism is a part of Bosmeri culture and a requirement for the upholding of the Green Pact; they eat their dead and even their enemies as part of upholding the meat mandate. The practice of cannibalism has fallen out of favor in Valenwood during the Second Era, and is only practiced by the most zealous upholders of the Green.
== Society[edit] ==
A sketch of an Imga, the Great Apes of Valenwood
The elves of Valenwood have always stood ready to defend themselves against aggression, and have done so on many occasions. They often rely on their forest-coupling skills to make use of guerrilla tactics. The title of their most famous poem, the Meh Ayleidion, means "The One Thousand Benefits of Hiding". However, the Bosmer seem to be the most pacifistic of all the modern races on Tamriel, as they have never instigated war with other nations (leading some more militant cultures to criticize them as cowards), though they have been accused of needlessly escalating some conflicts. They have never found a tried and true ally in any other Tamrielic nation. Mistrust has been engendered by the ritual cannibalism they practice, and it's often difficult for them to adjust their lifestyles to the expectations of other races and cultures. Nevertheless, the Bosmer are heavily dependent on good relations and trade with other races, as the Green Pact forces them to import the timber needed to make their homes, arrows, and other wooden instruments. Their own resources for trade include hides, river pearls, and finger-bone charms made from the Magically-charged hands of their dead wizards. When they are at odds with Colovia or other trading allies, they are said to rely on piracy or banditry to get what they need. They have attempted to accommodate other races in Valenwood throughout history, though many remained wary of outlander encroachments into their home. To this day, they have little more than foot paths connecting their tiny settlements in Valenwood's sparsely populated forests. Some Bosmer practice cannibalism upon their enemies. Some Bosmer have been known to file their teeth to sharp points. It is also common among the Bosmer to wear decorative antlers on their foreheads, although rarely, individuals with real, magically-grown antlers can also be encountered.
The Bosmer greatly value diversity. Their respect for life's many facets is inherent in many of their old sayings, like "One mans miracle is another mans accident". Other races are generally welcomed in most of Valenwood, though most foreigners stay in large cities. Travelers are encouraged to take care when imbibing drinks of fermented milk which are popular among the Bosmer, as non-Bosmer may have adverse reactions to them.
Greenspeakers are mages who dedicate their lives to working in and alongside the Green itself. They use their spells to guide and enhance the growth of trees and plants, and can create furniture and housing for their people in doing so.
=== Life in Valenwood[edit] ===
Though the Bosmer first united under the Camoran Dynasty, this form of governance has been called a "loose hegemony". There are in fact many leaders throughout Valenwood who wield varying degrees of authority, such as the treethanes. Their territory has sometimes been referred to as the "Valenwood Nations", perhaps because of the autonomy practiced by various leaders.
The Bosmer have adapted to life in the Green in many ingenious ways. For instance, in the heat and humidity of Valenwood, popular Altmeri ink refuses to dry. It is still prized, though, as it is perfect for writing temporary messages on certain types of porous stone found in the Green. But to write words permanently, the Bosmer uses a type of ink that can dry even if a parchment is submerged in water. Ink which glows faintly in the dark, perfect for writing in the shadows of the forest, is also prevalent. Writing on a leaf or a flat stone is common in Valenwood, and often preferable in a place where quality parchment is rare and even paper is uncommon. Green Pact typically does not allow the use of paper, which makes vellum made of animal hides more common in Valenwood. They've also found means to both deter and eradicate Hoarvor infestations. Though they refrain from smoking plants, many enjoy smoking bugs from bone pipes. Finding light without resorting to the danger of fire is an issue on the perpetually shadowy forest floor, but as the moons rise, additional light is provided by luminous lichen, molds, and fungal growths at the base of the oaks. Higher up, nocturnal flowers feed from the graht-oaks, attracting Torchbugs, whose hives light the branch platforms.
The Bosmer share Valenwood with the Imga and so-called "Wood Orcs", along with the many beasts of the forest, including Centaurs. They have a long history of welcoming those who seek refuge within Valenwood. They accepted slaves fleeing the Ayleids, and then Ayleids fleeing the slaves, without showing favorites. Around the time of the Alliance War, they also freely welcomed Argonian refugees who had left their homeland in protest over the formation of the Ebonheart Pact. Many foreigners visit Falinesti at some point, the marvelous traveling city of the Bosmer (though at last report, the city had mysteriously rooted itself). Cultural loyalties have tended to divide the Bosmer, such as the rivalry between the Blacksap and the Camorans, and the schism between followers of the Green Pact and "salad-eaters" who have no qualms about breaking the tenets of the Pact.
=== Religion[edit] ===
The Bosmer venerate many deities. In fact, few Bosmer outside the Empire accept the limitation of Divines to a mere eight or nine. Most Bosmer claim direct descent from Auri-El, though Y'ffre the Storyteller is their most important deity. While the Time Dragon is the king of the gods, they venerate Y'ffre as the spirit of "the now". Like the Argonians, the Bosmer seem to prefer to live in the present, or the "Aurbic Now", and show relatively little regard for the ways of the past (besides when it comes to telling old tales or following the Green Pact, that is).
A vital part of the Bosmeri pantheon, Ehlnofey, or "Earthbones," were created from Y'ffre's corporeal form to establish safety and the laws of nature. These laws took the shape of stories, and there is great debate between tribes competing to interpret Y'ffre's ways and knowledge of the times of chaos, before Y'ffre arrived on the mortal plane.
The Bosmer also venerate Arkay, Xarxes, Mara (who they consider to be the wife of Auri-El), and Stendarr. The God of Toil, Z'en, is the Bosmeri god of payment in kind. His origins are mysterious, as is his place in the cosmic order. The Bosmer are one of the few who worship the trickster Baan Dar, the trickster spirit of thieves and beggars they apparently borrowed from the Khajiit.
There are many other deities with significant Bosmer cults, such as Hircine. They also worship the moon gods Jone and Jode. Ancient stories of the supernatural, enigmatic Wilderking abound in Greenshade. Like the Nords, the trickster spirit Herma-Mora appears in their legends (and they insist he is not to be confused with the Daedra Hermaeus Mora). And, of course, in a culture replete with trickster spirits, they do not forget the greatest trickster of all: Lorkhan.
=== The Green Pact[edit] ===
The symbol of the Green Pact
The Green Pact, also known as the Treaty of Frond and Leaf, is a strict code upheld by many of the Bosmer of Valenwood. It is said to have guided their existence since the beginning of the "great story". Its rules are clear. Do not harm the forests of Valenwood. Do not eat anything made from plant life. Eat only meat. When enemies are conquered, their meat must be eaten, not left to rot. Do not kill wastefully. Do not take on the shape of beasts.
Green Pact Bosmer are said to attack any who would harm the forest in which they live, which they call the Green. However, they usually don't mind other races cutting trees down (most notably in the case of Vinedusk Rangers and Wood Orcs in their respective territories), and are known to buy wood from them. The cannibalistic "Meat Mandate" of the Pact sets them apart religiously from other cultures. The requirement to eat fallen enemies before three days pass is perhaps the most shocking part of the Pact to outsiders. Though many Bosmer still try to respect the Green Pact, the practice of eating dead enemies diminished by the Second Era, and is typically only practiced in the most remote villages. The family members of the warrior who slaughtered the enemy may help him with his meal. Bosmer who honor this facet of the Green Pact typically attempt to prepare themselves before large battles by fasting.
Despite its perceived simplicity the Green Pact's doctrinal details can be baffling to outsiders, its certain aspects are often matters of dispute among the Bosmer. According to Green Lady it consists of two broad tenets : "Harm no living plants,". Picking up and consumption fallen fruits is not considered breach of Green Pact. Dairy products, honey, mushrooms, and insects are generally accepted meals in the Valenwood and eating them is not considered breach of the Green Pact by all but the most ultra-zealous of Pact Bosmer.
The Bosmer allegedly made the Green Pact with Y'ffre in return for Y'ffre's patronage and protection. As a result, they use bone, animal, and insect products widely; imported wood is used when necessary. Rather than drinking conventional liquor made from grain or fruit, the Bosmer consume jagga (fermented pig's milk) and rotmeth. Rotmeth is made from fermented meat seasoned with thunderbug organs, takes years to brew, and is considered a precious ritual beverage that symbolizes "the muscle of the boar, the power of the forest, the strength of the Bosmer people". No wedding can take place without it. Y'ffre is believed to have first blessed them with their form, thus their appearance is sacred, so although Bosmer may take the shape of beasts, the Pact normally bans this practice. However, the Wild Hunt is considered a result of the Green Pact: in return for their patronage to Y'ffre, the Bosmer may perform a ritual in dire times that transforms the participants into a horde of wild, shape-shifting beasts, which go on to lay waste to the enemies of the Bosmer.
The Green Pact made the felling of Valenwood trees by anyone a crime against the Bosmeri religion, though this does not apply to non-Bosmer. There are almost no cities or towns built by the Bosmer themselves. Rather, the Bosmer's relationship with the Pact grants them magical forest-shaping abilities to grow their settlements. The exact process is unclear, but reports claim that it's often a highly ritualized affair which consists of slow, rhythmic chanting for several days. Much like the Meat Mandate, fasting is possibly involved prior to and during the process. Bosmer also believe Y'ffre has blessed them with the limited ability to ask the Green to shape itself to their needs to help them live within the restrictions of the Pact. Some Bosmer during the Second Era refused to follow the Green Pact, as they considered it hypocritical for it to not apply to non-Bosmer and because the Pact was made long before they themselves were born. Despite the fact that Green-Pact did not apply to foreginers, some Bosmer still considered foreigners harming plants as blasphemous crime against the nature.
The tenets of the Pact have led to many tensions with allies and others who have disrespected their beliefs. More than once, the Bosmer have gone to war to protect the Green. While many "civilized" Bosmer don't adhere as closely to the Green Pact as their tribal brethren, they nevertheless often seem to be staunch advocates for respecting its tenets. Green Pact Bosmer are fanatical in their devotion to the Pact. They have been known to let loved ones die of illness even as the alchemical ingredients which could save them grow nearby. Nevertheless, these forest-dwellers are not savages: they have been described as a highly intelligent, curious, and rational people with rich cultural traditions vested in the forest and in their spiritual leaders, the Spinners of Y'ffre. The Spinners are charged with enforcing the Green Pact, and are said to hold the real power in Valenwood. Accounts suggest they have great influence on the people, and that their sermons touch upon more than just spiritual matters. Every springtime, Green Pact Bosmer gather at the Den of the Eldest for a festival in which they drink, tell stories, and pay homage to the Eldest, an ancient strangler.
Placating the Green is a vital part of life in Valenwood, as the forests will often turn against the residents when the Pact is broken or the Valenwood is otherwise harmed. In order to attone and stop the Green's assault, the clan responsible for that area of land must hold a trial and the party found guilty of violating the Green Pact must be sacrificed to the Green itself, regardless of how limited their involvement was or even whether they were a Bosmer.
The Green Pact Bosmer are known as fierce warriors, but are also known for the hospitality they exhibit to outsiders who respect their ways. Their stories speak of the Ooze, a purgatorial state reserved for Bosmer who violate the Pact (who are called Apostates), as well as the harsh punishments the Green unleashes on those who would harm it.
=== The Ooze[edit] ===
The Ooze is a Bosmeri term that refers to the formless chaos that existed prior to Y'ffre's Naming. According to legend, Y'ffre would shape the Ooze into all of creation by telling their stories. Even after creating the Green, the Bosmer, and the rest of life, though, some formless nothing still remained. Y'ffre decided to speak one final story to give the Ooze purpose, saying that any being who violated their Green Pact with the Valenwood would be cast into the Ooze and stricken from the story of Tamriel.
Most Bosmer recognize the Ooze to be a sort of 'spiritual prison' for Oathbreakers who disobeyed some aspect of the Green Pact. These individuals would be shunned by Y'ffre, who represents the living moment, and their spirits would be tied to their remains for eternity. These Oathbreakers could only play witness to all the transpires on Nirn and beyond, and were unable to participate or interact with Nirn in any meaningful way, stuck in a purgatorial state for all time. The rules that dictate whether someone will be trapped in the Ooze upon death are harsh, but clear. The moment someone breaks the Green Pact or otherwise displeases Y'ffre, no matter how inconsequential or accidental their crime, their soul will be bound for the Ooze. This fate can even be extended to outside intruders in the Valenwood under certain circumstances. Those trapped in the Ooze, however, are not without help. Spinners have been known to communicate with the remains of those who rest in the Ooze and even free them if they so choose. Additionally, Bosmer in the Ooze are still bound to Bosmeri customs, and invoking one such as the Rite of Theft can grant complete control over the Oathbreakers, allowing even for someone to command them to be freed from the Ooze.
=== The Silvenar and Green Lady[edit] ===
The Silvenar is the Voice of the People for the Bosmer. While often viewed by outsiders as a title for the Bosmer's political representative for foreign affairs, the Silvenar is more than a mere politician. Each person who bears the title is thought of as merely the Silvenar's aspect. The Silvenar represents the Bosmer people legally, physically, and emotionally. He is said to be their spirituality, in contrast to the Green Lady, who is their physicality. It is said to be the union of the two that makes Valenwood whole. He reflects the state of the Bosmer people in his way of thinking, his health, and even his gender. He is inseparably tied to the Bosmeri people, and they to him, making him supernaturally empathic and aware of their concerns. They also believe that he looks after their spirits, as well as their bodies. As the Voice of the People, the Silvenar has many rights which grant him great authority in Valenwood. For one, only the Silvenar can grant foreign building and trade contracts, meaning any foreign power which wishes to build in Valenwood or do business with the Bosmer must deal with the Silvenar first.
How the Silvenar and, by extension, Green Lady, came to be is shrouded in mystery. Some folktales claim that the first Silvenar and Green Lady were pilgrims, a childless couple who tended to the Eldest like their own offspring. The Green Lady, however, insists that her memories date all the way back to the Dawn Era.
As the Silvenar exists primarily as a story, his only true origin is the tale of his meeting with the Green Lady. In the tale, the Silvenar begins as a being who can see the whole of Valenwood and is left saddened and empty by its purely primal nature. He eventually comes across a Bosmer unlike any he had seen before, whose raw strength and passion made all before him terrified. She begins to attack him, but he instead tells her to stay with him and see the beauty of the forest. Eventually, The Green Lady comes to see the Valenwood as the Silvenar does, while the Silvenar's emptiness became filled with her passion. The two became bound to one another, both taming the wilds and strengthening the Green in the process..
This story, in addition to functioning as the beginning of the Silvenar, also serves as the Silvenar's now and future. Each time a Silvenar dies, a new one is selected by the Green and will once again repeat this tale to unite with their Green Lady. As such, the Silvenar is a constant in Bosmeri society.
While the Silvenar represents the civilized nature of the current Bosmer, the Green Lady has the raw physicality and passion of their primal past. If the Silvenar dies, his Green Lady's bestial nature is irrevocably unleashed, and her fury turned on all those involved until she joins him in death. Upon the death of the Silvenar, the new Silvenar officially takes on the title at a wedding. This wedding, which is known as the Handfasting, is an important occasion for the Bosmer which only occurs once in a generation. It is responsible for both anointing and marrying the Silvenar and the Green Lady. Even before the Handfasting, the Silvenar may feel the new identity taking over. For the Silvenar doesn't just represent the will of the Bosmer to outsiders. The Silvenar actually feels the will of the people and acts upon it, and the people likewise can feel the Silvenar's influence and be swayed by it.
=== The Wild Hunt[edit] ===
The Wild Hunt, also called the Great Hunt, (not to be confused with Hircine's Wild Hunt/Great Hunt) is a magical trait innate to all Bosmer. It is brought on by a collective ritual performed by many Bosmer, causing them to shapeshift into a horde of feral, supernatural beasts. This transformation cannot be undone. These monsters stampede, changing their form constantly, slaying and devouring all in their path and eventually, when left with no surviving targets, turn upon themselves in a "cannibalistic orgy". This transformation is seen by the Bosmer as a return to the chaos of the Dawn Era they call the Ooze, when they were unable to hold onto one shape for more than a moment. After they made the Green Pact with Y'ffre, he taught the Bosmer how to escape that chaos and retain their form, but also how to return to it by instigating the Wild Hunt.
These shapeshifters are stripped of their flesh from their bone instantaneously, and turn into creatures that "defy all attempts to identify them". Some may not even turn into creatures at all, and instead change into "great writhing tongues, unfettered by lips or teeth", or can take on a gaseous form which makes them impossible to contain without the aid of magic. There's even some suggestion they can take on the form of water, or waves of blood. The forms they take are not static, however, as they may appear like a serpent one moment, and shift into another creature the next moment. When Bosmer invoke the Wild Hunt, it causes a change in wild animals as well. Beasts typically transform into beings that are part plant and part animal.
Ring of the Wild Hunt
The purpose of the Wild Hunt varies with each separate Hunt, from an act of vengeance to a tool of war. In either case, the Bosmer are not proud of their ability and are unwilling to discuss the Hunt at great length. One of the rare accounts on the nature of the Wild Hunt states that "every monster in the world that has ever been comes from a previous Hunt". As such, the Bosmer are reluctant to use the Hunt, except as an act of desperation. The monsters that do get created by a Wild Hunt, all former Bosmer, are said to be ferocious and long-lived. Notable examples included Willy the Bitten and King Dead Wolf-Deer, who were created by the end of the fourth century of the First Era and lived at least until the beginning of the Third Era. They went on to plague Silvenar Grove and the Lynpar March respectively. The change is said to be irreversible.
=== Laws and Traditions[edit] ===
The Rite of Theft is a cherished Bosmeri custom, though one which outsiders have trouble appreciating. The Bosmer steal from each other, and upon return of the stolen item, they demand a boon commensurate to the item's worth. In ancient times, the Bosmer Vanirion the Thief was renowned for demanding over two hundred payments after invoking the Rite. In more modern times, the Bosmer of Greenshade are particularly infamous for their thievery. Occasionally, some Bosmer have been known to observe the Rite of Theft even from beyond the grave, such was the case with the Blackroot Clan when their chief's bow was stolen. 
Outsiders who understand the Rite of Theft may use it to their own advantage as well. Three Altmer, the so-called "Heroes of the Sanctuary", once used the Rite of Theft to secure a safe port of Summerset ships. They successfully stole from various treethanes while keeping their own treasure secure, earning the right to build their own settlement, known as Seaside Sanctuary, on the shores of Valenwood.
Often when making contracts with the tribes of Valenwood, one will be expected to put up some sort of collateral to ensure equal treatment between unequal partners, such as when a mundane individual is dealing with a powerful mage. In traditional Bosmeri villages, this involves the more powerful party giving the weaker a loved one as a 'pact-hostage'. Should the contracted party complete their task, the pact-hostage will be returned. If they fail to uphold their end of the contract, the pact-hostage will be killed, cooked, and served up to them as Unthrappa, or Atonement. Eating the Unthrappa represents eating one's failure.
Nearly everywhere outside the cities of Valenwood, Bosmeri tribes in the wilds of Valenwood still practice the tradition of the "Mourning War". When a tribe member is slain, they are symbolically replaced via a hostage-taking raid on a neighboring tribe. If the deceased was an especially powerful or prestigious member of the tribe, multiple captives may be taken to replace them. The captive or captives undergo a period of physical torture, supposedly to test their worthiness, and then are joyously welcomed into the clan. Traditionally, the victim was given the deceased tribe member's position, possessions, and family, though this practice may be rarely honored in modern ages. Mourning wars are an ancient tradition; scholarly references to them date back to the First Era, though when they actually started is not known.
|-|Dunmer=
The Dunmer, also called Dark Elves or the archaic Moriche, are the ash-skinned, typically red-eyed elven peoples of Morrowind. In the Empire, "Dark Elf" is the common usage, but among their Aldmeri brethren they are called "Dunmer".  "Dark" is variously interpreted as meaning "dark-skinned", "gloomy", and "ill-favored by fate", with the Dunmer and their national identity embracing these various connotations with enthusiasm. Their combination of powerful intellects with strong and agile physiques produce superior warriors and sorcerers. On the battlefield, Dunmer are noted for their skill with a balanced integration of the sword, the bow and destruction magic. Dunmer live two to three times as long as humans; with a 200-year-old Dunmer being old and a 300-year-old Dunmer being very, very old. In character, they are grim, aloof, and reserved, as well as distrusting and disdainful of other races.
Dunmer distrust and are treated distrustfully by other races. They are often called proud, clannish, ruthless, and cruel, from an outsider's point of view, but greatly value loyalty and family. Young female Dunmer have a reputation for promiscuity according to at least one account, although Dunmer culture itself makes no reference to this. Dunmer also apparently have a reputation for quick tempers. Despite their powerful skills and strengths, the Dunmer's vengeful nature, age-old conflicts, betrayals, and ill-reputation prevent them from gaining more influence. Those born in their homeland of Morrowind before its devastation were known to be considerably less friendly than those who grew up in the Imperial tradition.
== Contents ==
 [hide] 
* 1History
* 2Architecture
* 3Society
* 4Gallery
** 4.1Appearances
* 5Notes
* 6See Also
** 6.1Books
* 7References
== History[edit] ==
A Dunmer warrior
The Dunmer were born from the ashes of the Battle of Red Mountain. The infamous confrontation around 1E 700 led to the death of an ancient and respected war leader known as Lord Indoril Nerevar, the destruction of the Sixth House, the disappearance of the entire Dwemer race then present on Nirn, and the ascension into godhood of four of Nerevar's councilors and closest friends, culminating in a curse from Azura that transformed the Dunmer into their present appearance. Before that, they were the Chimer, a race of elves with skin like pale gold that followed the prophet Veloth to Resdayn (present-day Morrowind) seeking religious freedom. But the Daedra Azura (the Goddess of Dusk and Dawn and the patron of Nerevar), became angry and cursed the Chimer, turning their eyes red and their skin ashen. Nerevar's councilors, his general Vivec, the sorcerer Sotha Sil, and his wife Almalexia, broke an oath they had sworn to Nerevar and Azura by stealing divine power for themselves. When this Tribunal of new living gods showed no remorse to Azura, she cursed them and all Chimer, and tied together the fate of the Dunmer and Tribunal until the end of time.
The Dunmer came to worship them and follow their teachings, with some notable detractors. For thousands of years, they used their power and leadership to protect the Dunmer from foreign invasion and, later, from Dagoth Ur, their ancient archenemy and the devil incarnate for the Dunmer (for he, too, had stolen divine power). After he awakened in 2E 882, the Tribunal had to devote their full attention to him, allowing for the Treaty of the Armistice with Tiber Septim's Third Empire that made Morrowind an autonomous province (and may have been influenced by the Tribunal's awareness of Tiber Septim's rise to divinity and the comparative weakness of Dunmer forces). Near the end of the Third Era, their power crumbled upon the advent of the Nerevarine, the reincarnation of Nerevar whom Azura had prophesied would come to set right the mistakes of the past. The Nerevarine, an outlander to Morrowind and purported Blades agent of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, severed their divine power at its source: the Heart of Lorkhan. The Heart had been discovered in the First Era by the Dwemer, and their plan to exploit it is what caused the Battle of Red Mountain in the first place. The Nerevarine released the Heart; Dagoth Ur, Sotha Sil, and Almalexia were killed soon after. Vivec is missing (with some claiming he has been "taken" by the Daedra).
The Nerevarine eschewed taking power in Morrowind, and instead reportedly set sail for Akavir, leaving the Dunmer to make their own future. Unfortunately, that future has proven grim. In the first few years of the Fourth Era, with Vivec no longer holding Baar Dau in place, it began its descent into the city of Vivec again. An Ingenium was created to hold the moon in place, a magical machine powered by souls. As a consequence, a Dunmer named Sul destroyed the Ingenium in an attempt to save his lover from being used to power it. Baar Dau then hit Vivec City with the full strength of its original descent, triggering a series of natural disasters that devastated Vvardenfell and the province as a whole in what is now called the Red Year. In the aftermath, the Argonian armies of Black Marsh invaded the south and east of the land, but were stopped and repelled by the armies of House Redoran. As a result of the calamities, many Dunmer have fled to other places around Tamriel, notably Skyrim and the small island of Solstheim northwest of Vvardenfell, which had become a territory of the sovereign nation of Morrowind in 4E 16. House Redoran had created an army when the Empire pulled its forces back to Cyrodiil to deal with the Oblivion Crisis. The army was able to repel the Argonian invaders, saving the Dunmer from an even worse fate. As a result of their service to the Dunmeri people, House Redoran became the eminent power in Morrowind, moving the capital to the ancestral Redoran seat of Blacklight accordingly. While the precise date or circumstances are unknown, Morrowind had ceased to be considered a territory of the Third Empire by 4E 48.
== Architecture[edit] ==
The Dunmer are known for some of the most fascinating architecture in Tamriel.
The Telvanni build bizarre, twisted mushroom towers and dwellings with magic.  This style was present in Vvardenfell in the Second and Third Eras. Redoran, Indoril, Dres and Hlaalu use more conventional methods to build their structures. The Redoran build organic, crab-like houses. The Redoran town of Ald'ruhn on Vvardenfell was famous for being built around the shell of a long-dead Emperor Crab. This style was present in Vvardenfell in the Second and Third Eras. The Hlaalu build simple, cubic stone houses. This style was present in Vvardenfell in the Second and Third Eras. The style of architecture known as Velothi style is seen in ancestral tombs, ancient towers, and Temple buildings. Responsible Architecture is a style that originated in the First Era and is attributed to the Daedric Prince Boethiah. This style was similar to that seen in various Daedric ruins in Morrowind, and it was used by the famed architect Guylaine Marilie to build a prison to contain Daedra at the site where Fort Arand was later constructed. An unnamed style, featuring ornate stone buildings with peaked, shingled roofs, was common in mainland Morrowind in the Second Era and even extended into Cyrodiil. The city of Mournhold retained the style in the Third Era. Unlike their settled brethren, the Ashlanders are nomadic, and live in migrating encampments of large tents throughout Vvardenfell. All Dunmer buildings have to be well-suited to deal with the climate of their particular region, which varies greatly across the province.
* Telvanni architecture
* Hlaalu architecture
* Redoran architecture
* Mainland Morrowind Architecture
== Society[edit] ==
Sketch of an Indoril guard
The Dunmer have been defined by their environment. Red Mountain looms as large in their collective thought as it does on the horizon. Its ash and lava sculpted the attitudes of Vvardenfell residents. One does not have to travel far outside of many cities to find a giant Foyada cutting through the land like a scar. Native-born Dunmer tended to look down on "outlanders", which include both other races and Dunmer born outside of Morrowind, though the intensity of this ethnocentrism varies. For thousands of years under the Tribunal, Dunmer society was structured much like the Chimer society had been: domestic Great Houses governed by Ruling Councils competed against each other for power and territory, while nomadic groups eschewed relative modernity for ancient tribal practices.
Houses tend to rise and fall; many have faded to extinction over the years or sprouted up to challenge others. At the close of the Third Era, the five most important houses were Hlaalu, Redoran, Telvanni, Dres and Indoril, each which had existed for thousands of years, since at least the War of the First Council. While the details are limited, it is known that each of the Houses survived the cataclysms following the fall of the Tribunal Temple - with the exception of House Hlaalu, which lost its position to the previously-unknown House Sadras. In the most recent two centuries, House Redoran has become the most powerful of the Great Houses, taking the mantle the Hlaalu had held prior, and the Indoril before them. Historically, Indoril has been so heavily involved with the Temple itself that it is hard to distinguish the two. Following the collapse of the Tribunal Temple, House Indoril and the New Temple became regarded as one in the same. In the Ashlands, native tribes ruled without laws or government and lived strictly by codes, rituals, and ancient traditions usually dictated by a wise woman or seer and implemented by a clan leader. They lived in the deserts and plains of the Ashlands and Grazelands.
The "peaceful" status quo for Dunmer was considered quite 'savage' by westerners, even when led by living gods. Political machinations are constant. Assassinations are common; with the legally established Morag Tong providing services. A huge amount of black market activity thrives along Morrowind's extensive coastlines. Dissidents to the Temple and other subversives over the years have been hunted and persecuted. Slavery used to be commonplace. Mostly Khajiit or Argonian slaves were trafficked, although many men and mer were also enslaved. Goblins were also seen as a significant slave "resource". The Third Empire of Tiber Septim had banned slavery, but Dunmer were allowed to keep their own sacred and traditional laws in their entrance to the Empire. Despite these claims that owning slaves is their right, many Dunmer still found the practice abhorrent and immoral, and abolitionist groups continued to crop up within Dunmeri society. By the end of the Third Era, the abolitionists had won, and King Helseth officially abolished slavery.  Necromancy is also practiced openly by some Dunmer, though never with Dunmer corpses.
The Great Houses generally followed the established Tribunal Temple, which preached faith for the Tribunal, respect for the "Good Daedra" who recognized the Tribunal, and veneration of ancestors. There was some practicality to this: ancestral remains are used to power ghost fences to ward off spirits, notably the one created by the Tribunal at the closing of the Second Era that surrounded Red Mountain for hundreds of years to keep Dagoth Ur and his minions at bay. Historically, the Dunmer have resisted worshipping the Aedra of the Nine Divines, whom they viewed as heretical apostasies whose worshippers were on occasion punished severely. The Dunmer were swift in re-establishing the traditions of ancestor and Daedra worship that Ashlanders had kept alive as the New Temple.
|-|Altmer=
The Altmer, or self-titled "Cultured People", are a tall, golden-skinned race, hailing from Summerset Isle. They are also known as High Elves by the denizens of Tamriel, or the more obscure term Salache, High Elves are generally viewed as being proud or snobbish. Altmer live two to three times as long as humans; with a 200-year-old Altmer being old and a 300-year-old Altmer being very, very old. Altmer consider themselves to be the most civilized culture of Tamriel; the common tongue of the continent is based on Altmer speech and writing, and most of the Empire's arts, crafts, laws, and sciences are derived from Altmer traditions.
The Altmer are the most strongly gifted in the arcane arts of all the races, and they are very resistant to diseases. However, they are also somewhat vulnerable to magicka, fire, frost, and shock, which makes them very weak against their strongest point - magic. They are among the longest living and most intelligent races of Tamriel, and they often become powerful magic users due to both their magical affinity and the many years they may devote to their studies.
== Contents ==
 [hide] 
* 1History
** 1.1Origins and Early Schisms
** 1.2Altmer in High Rock and Hammerfell
** 1.3The Aldmeri Dominions and Imperial Rule
** 1.4The Fourth Era
* 2Society and Religion
** 2.1Religion and Philosophy
** 2.2Law and Government
** 2.3Dissidence and Reform
* 3Culture
** 3.1Holidays
* 4Gallery
** 4.1Appearances
* 5See Also
** 5.1Books
* 6References
== History[edit] ==
=== Origins and Early Schisms[edit] ===
Summerset Isle and Auridon, the lands of the Altmer
Altmer are thought to be the most direct, unaltered descendants of the original Aldmer elves, and the transition from one to the other is not very clear. The Altmer seemed to have changed by staying the same. When the Aldmer left their home island of Aldmeris, most if not all of them settled first in the Summerset Isle. The Maormer believe the Altmer to be a mongrel race, and that it is actually the Sea Elves who are directly descended from the "purest strain" of Aldmeri ancestors. Much of their history is lost or hidden, but it is known that many unique ruins and structures, notably the Ceporah Tower, predate the Aldmeri arrival by at least several hundred years. They likely warred with the Sload of Thras and other strange, unknown creatures for control of Summerset in ancient times. At some point they came together and formed the Crystal Tower as a monument to the spirit of their race, and it was the pinnacle of magical learning until the construction of the Arcane University.
Social clashes among the Aldmer would lead to a series of emigrations from Summerset Isle to regions all over Tamriel, notably under the prophet Veloth, which would lead to the great diversification of Elven races, such as the Chimer, Bosmer, Orsimer and Ayleids (exactly when and where the Dwemer and Snow Elves emerged is not clear, but they are believed to all have a common ancestry). Many different, often corroborating legends claim that the changes of each race were the result of differences in their worship of deities. The Maormer, or Sea Elves, of Pyandonea were at one time counted among these emigrant groups from Summerset, but tapestries in the Crystal Tower suggest that their divergence from the Aldmer took place before the Elves had quit Aldmeris – an account that had been accepted by both Altmer and Maormer sources by the middle Second Era.
=== Altmer in High Rock and Hammerfell[edit] ===
One clan of Altmer, the Direnni, established a foothold in High Rock and rose to power there in the early First Era, founding the Direnni Hegemony. Strengthened by Ayleids fleeing the ascendant Alessian Order in Cyrodiil, at its height the Hegemony incorporated parts of Skyrim and Hammerfell. The number of Direnni Altmer was always small, and in High Rock the Altmer interbred with local Nedes, producing the Manmeri race who would later be known as the Bretons. The Bretons assumed positions as stewards and administrators under the Hegemony, and though the Direnni defeated an Alessian invasion at the climactic Battle of Glenumbra Moors in 1E 482, they were so weakened in the victory that the emergent Breton nobility were able to force them to retreat from almost the whole of High Rock to the Isle of Balfiera – the site of the primordial Tower of Ada-mantia, which became known as the Direnni Tower. The Direnni continued to rule Balfiera long afterwards as Castellans until the Warp in the West in 3E 417, and retained a reputation as powerful mages, defeating a Redguard invasion of the isle in 1E 907. Their clan stronghold in Summerset itself, however, had fallen into ruin by the middle of the Second Era.
Colonies of Altmer existed in other parts of western Tamriel during the First Era, though these proved more short-lived. The Corelanya Clan established a foothold on the coasts of Hammerfell in the 6th century of the First Era, taking over the formerly Ayleid city of Salas En, and possibly participated in a larger Bosmeri trade network. Said to be Daedra-worshippers, they were driven out and killed in 1E 853 by invading Ra Gada forces from Yokuda under the leadership of King Xakhwan.
=== The Aldmeri Dominions and Imperial Rule[edit] ===
While mainland Tamriel experienced many problems and sagas during the First and early Second Era, the sea insulated the Altmer of Summerset from their problems, though they had their own limited internal conflicts as well as repeated, large-scale invasions from the Sload and Maormer to deal with. In 2E 580, however, amid the chaos of the Interregnum that followed the fall of the Second Empire, Queen Ayrenn of Summerset allied with the Bosmer of Valenwood and the Khajiit of Elsweyr in the Elden Accord to form the First Aldmeri Dominion. The Dominion's propaganda decried the carelessness of Men and promoted the establishment of Elven rule across Tamriel, viewing the Aldmeri races as the only peoples with the "wisdom and restraint" to be its proper stewards. To that end, the Dominion fought the Three Banners War against the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact for control of mainland Tamriel.
The First Aldmeri Dominion ultimately failed in this endeavor and broke apart. A Second Dominion was established in 2E 830 following Altmer intervention in a dynastic dispute in Valenwood. The Second Dominion once more allied the Altmer with the Bosmer and Khajiit, but also with the Maormer – usually their hereditary enemies. Even this expanded alliance could not stand against the forces of Tiber Septim, however, who crushed the Dominion with the help of the Numidium and finally brought the Summerset Isle into the Imperial fold in 2E 896. The Maormer, for their part, soon resumed hostilities, attacking and threatening to conquer Summerset in the War of the Isle of 3E 110. The Altmer had to accept assistance from the Septim Third Empire to survive. The Altmer remembered these incidents with shame and horror, and they likely contributed to social unrest among their youth later in the Third Era.
=== The Fourth Era[edit] ===
Soldiers of the Third Aldmeri Dominion during the Great War
The Oblivion Crisis of 3E 433 proved an even more traumatic moment for the Altmer. As Daedra overran Tamriel, the unnatural turmoil of the seas killed many of the Altmer fleeing the mainland to Summerset, and wrecked the ports that would have received them. The Crystal Tower briefly served as a stronghold for the surviving refugees in Summerset until it, too, was destroyed by a powerful Daedric spell. A group named the Thalmor, originally an obscure bureau for the preservation of Altmeri heritage, had played an important role in the governments of the First and Second Dominions. Following the chaos of the Crisis, an extremist cabal of Altmer supremacists now assumed this name and claimed credit for saving the Altmer from extinction using "deep and subtle magicks". In 4E 22, the re-formed Thalmor seized power in Summerset outright and deposed the Altmer monarch, renaming the province Alinor. Soon afterwards, in 4E 29, a faction friendly to the Thalmor took over Valenwood and formed a new union with the Altmer, establishing the Third Aldmeri Dominion.
The Third Dominion proceeded to break off all contact with the Empire, and the Altmer lands remained silent to the outside world for some seventy years as the Thalmor consolidated their power. A grim demonstration of the ruthlessness of the Thalmor in this pursuit – and the continuing resistance to their rule among some Altmer – was the Night of Green Fire in 4E 42, in which a group of Altmer dissidents were massacred by Thalmor mages at Sentinel. At any rate, the Thalmor's sway continued to expand. After Nirn's moons vanished in the Void Nights of 4E 98–100, they claimed credit for their restoration and persuaded the Khajiit of Elsweyr to ally once more with the Aldmeri Dominion in 4E 115. Finally, the Thalmor turned their sights on the Empire itself. From 4E 171 to 175 the Dominion fought the Great War against the Empire, inflicting a series of punishing defeats that led to the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, which disbanded the Blades and banned the worship of the man-god Talos across the Empire. With the Empire in turmoil from a civil war in Skyrim abetted by the Thalmor and the possible assassination of Emperor Titus Mede II, the Altmer have attained a position of substantial power in Tamriel in 4E 201, though much remains unclear about the situation in Alinor itself.
== Society and Religion[edit] ==
Elven weaponry
At the time the Crystal Tower was built in the Merethic Era, the Elves of Summerset had a relatively egalitarian society, though social stratification slowly developed into a rigid hierarchy of classes over the millennia. The Wise (teachers and priests) became the highest echelon, followed by Artists, Princes, Warriors, Landowners, Merchants, Workers, and enslaved beasts such as Goblins. Early literature by man painted the High Elves in poor light, though the impartiality of these accounts is questionable. It was suggested that the Altmer practiced eugenic infanticide, putting to death nine in ten of their newborns due to impurities, that Altmeri names are simply combinations of numbers in their own language, and that Altmer culture revolves around displaying social status. Some of this has basis in fact; Altmer born with deformities or impurities are often – though not always – abandoned by their parents as "hulkynd" (sometimes to be raised by priests of Stendarr), and the full name of an Altmer is relatively extensive, detailing their patrilineal and matrilineal histories in addition to the history of their clan.
=== Religion and Philosophy[edit] ===
The creation myth of the Altmer begins before the start of the Dawn Era and the beginning of time: the primordial force of Anu, stasis or order, created Anuiel, the soul of all things, so it could know itself. Anuiel in turn created Sithis for the same purpose, who was the force of change and chaos and the sum up of all limitations, and their interrelation created the Aurbis, where the Original Spirits, the Aedra and Daedra, emerged before the creation of the Mundus. The ancient Aldmer believed they are the relatively feeble descendants of the Aedra ("Aedra" roughly translates to "ancestor spirit"), aspects of those Aedra who populated the Mundus so that it might last despite Lorkhan's deception.
As their hierarchical society developed, the lower classes stopped worshipping their own "lesser" Aedra in favor of those claimed by their social "betters". Thus the Altmer pantheon slowly formed around the most popular and well-known of the Aedra, many of whom would later be incorporated into the Nine Divines. The transition and choices have not gone without detractors. The principal Eight are Auri-El, Magnus, Trinimac, Y'ffre (or Jephre), Xarxes, Mara, Stendarr, and Syrabane – though any limitation to eight is unrecognized by Altmer outside the Empire – with significant additional cults dedicated to Phynaster and Lorkhan.
An Altmeri depiction of Summerset watched over (from left to right) by Xarxes, Auri-El, Mara, and Y'ffre/Jephre, capped by the Crystal Tower
In this developed form, Altmer religion venerates Auri-El as the soul of Anuiel. Auri-El allowed Lorkhan's creation of the mortal world in a moment of weakness, an enormity that severed the Aldmer from their eternal spirit world. Realizing his folly, he led their armies to defeat the Trickster God and establish the first Altmer kingdoms, Altmora and Old Ehlnofey, before ascending into heaven. The Altmer aspire to follow him and join their Aedric ancestors among the stars. Xarxes is believed to have been a scribe or priest of Auri-El who attained godhood, and originated and preserves the intricate structure of Altmer society. He is said to keep records of the lives of every Altmer and of all the bonds of lineage that connect them, and his scribe-priests are professed to preserve the knowledge of an ancient and otherwise forgotten language. The priests of Auri-El teach that the Hand of Auri-El, the Eye of Magnus, the Arm of Trinimac, the Bones of Y'ffre, the Mouth of Xarxes, and the Heart of Mara form a single "divine body" which must be venerated as one, and with which the Altmer themselves are one.
Stendarr's role in Altmeri myth is that of an apologist for Men. Views on Stendarr are sharply divided: some Altmer reject his worship owing to this connection, while others venerate him for undertaking the "heavy burden" with compassion and mercy. The popular hymn Praise Be includes a verse of praise for Stendarr, which is absent from the circulated written edition. The roots of the Altmer superstition holding that the number two is inauspicious likely also lie in the belief that it is the "number of Man". In the Fourth Era, the Thalmor have made it their objective to eradicate the cult of the Man-turned-god Talos throughout Tamriel.
A priestly hierarchy oversees Altmer worship of the Aedra. Some priests are monastics, devoting themselves to peace and meditation in monasteries led by Aldarchs. Others serve at public temples, where they instruct acolytes. Ascendant Curates are responsible for the refinement, conferral and destruction of calians, and preside over the expulsion and admission of particular mer from and into Altmer society. Though Daedric cults also exist among the Altmer, whose ambition and magical prowess sometimes tempt them to seek the powers of Oblivion, Daedra worship is severely reprobated in civil society. Moreover, at least at the time of the Three Banners War, the authorities in Summerset viewed the living gods of the Dunmer Tribunal Temple as enemies of the state.
At an Altmer's coming of age, they are granted a calian, a sphere of aetherquartz crystal representing their honor and social status. The aetherquartz in calian spheres is polished using ground pumice and ocean sand. Calians are considered to be "praxic talismans". Mer who have committed some particularly grievous crime against Altmer law are termed "ousters" and "apraxics". While ousters are simply banished from their homes, apraxics are treated more severely: their calians are ceremonially shattered by a curate and it is wholly forbidden for Altmer in good standing to speak to them.. Some apraxics labor for years to restore their status, as part of which they must painstakingly repair their own calian, while others choose to remain in exile. Nonetheless, in the middle of the Second Era subversive literature written by aprax mer gained wide currency among young Altmer on Summerset Isle, and provoked some of them to engage in revolutionary activity. This questioning of Altmer customs coincided with reforms introduced by Queen Ayrenn after the founding of the First Aldmeri Dominion, including the end of Summerset's longstanding isolation and the opening of its borders to other races and cultures, which provoked heated debate and political maneuvering.
One of the dominant philosophies of the Altmer of Summerset is the "Path to Alaxon", the continuous striving for a state of perfection. Practice of the Path requires intense dedication and concentrated effort. Those who are judged to have attained a degree of perfection are granted an an alaxon sphere, which, like calians, may be destroyed if they are judged to have fallen from it. The Path to Alaxon is reflected in Summerset's characteristic architecture, which builds on the aesthetic practice of past architects in a sequential process of refinement.
According to the Aldmeriad, the great origin saga of the Elves, written by the Xarxes, Altmer are expected to honor their ancestors by honoring their own lives. He put an emphasis on the importance of the Divine Spark and and urged Altmer to keep records of their lives as a sacred duty in form of an Oghma, an everscriven scroll which should memorialize their lives.
Some Altmeri individuals, such as Saint Ohmandil and Saint Terilde are revered as saints. Items associated with them and their remnants are occasionally kept as relics.
=== Law and Government[edit] ===
The College of Sapiarchs
Altmer society was highly stratified by the middle of the Second Era. The monarch of Summerset ruled as sovereign with the advice of the College of Sapiarchs, an elite and highly selective scholarly institute, and was sometimes represented by a viceroy titled the Proxy Queen or King. The monarch descended from an almost continuous line of royalty extending back to the Merethic Era. Their behavior was regulated by a set of written precedents known as the Scrolls of Praxis, whose chief interpreters were the Sapiarchs: these formed part of a broader system of inherited norms termed the Ceremoniarchy. The heir to the throne was required to study the Ceremoniarchy for 3,555 days in the Sapiarchs' Labyrinth before they could take the crown, and royal decrees were issued in its name. Hereditary nobles termed kinlords and kinladies held many of the Altmer lands in fief. Altmer royalty were assisted by lieutenants titled vicereeves, while cities that served as county seats were administered by canonreeves, civil officials equivalent to mayors in other cultures.
The Divine Prosecution administers secular and religious justice, and is made up of jurisreeves overseeing investigations and rank-and-file justiciars. Jurisreeves travel and deliberate in groups of three, each with distinct responsibilities: a revelator-naganwe to conduct magical inquiries, an admanen to serve as an inspector, and a thalmilan who would weigh the evidence and render a verdict. The jurisreeves may have originated as a religious order. Under Queen Ayrenn's First Aldmeri Dominion, executive responsibilities were increasingly assumed by the Thalmor, originally a bureau for the protection of Altmeri heritage. The Thalmor incorporated the Divine Prosecution as a division at that time, but the Prosecution existed long before the Thalmor's rise to power.
The Altmer stringently regulate traffic into Summerset, and they have banned the import of such foreign goods as books, foods and perfumes in the past. At the time of the First Aldmeri Dominion, the roster of forbidden books included mundane foreign writings judged to be "coarse", but the Divine Prosecution devoted particular attention to the suppression of literature promoting Daedra worship.
Altmer politics was transformed in the early Fourth Era by the return of the Thalmor as a militant Elven supremacist group following the Oblivion Crisis. In the wake of the chaos caused by the Crisis and the fall of the Crystal Tower, the Thalmor overthrew the Summerset monarchy in a coup d'état. Since then, officers of the Thalmor have taken direct charge of government functions such as diplomacy and espionage.
=== Dissidence and Reform[edit] ===
A Fourth Era Thalmor justiciar
As mentioned, whenever a substantial minority had some sort of socio-political or theological disagreement with the majority in Summerset in the Dawn Era, the dissidents would leave and usually go on to become other races of Mer. However, some time in the Merethic Era, one early group of dissidents who opposed the evolution to the traditional Altmer pantheon left the mainland of Summerset but remained quintessentially Altmer. The Psijics decided to follow the mystical Old Ways of Aldmeris and broke away to settle Artaeum, the third-largest island of the Isle. Though they have often refused requests for dialogue from Alinor during their periods of seclusion from Tamriel, the Psijics are not hostile to the other Altmer, and have offered their magic to protect Summerset in the past. A leader of the Psijics, Ritemaster Iachesis, led them through the entire First Era and most of the Second, a span of some 3,500 years, giving some indication of the potential longevity of the Altmer.
A subsequent bout of dissent occurred late in the Third Era, as younger Altmer again began pushing for social reform. These episodes were unusual in a society used to dissidents simply leaving. But there were few if any places left to go at that point. Some change had taken place by the end of the Third Era: the Altmer once more allowed foreigners to come to their shores; some non-Altmer were even allowed to rise to the ranks of nobility in Summerset. Many of these young rebellious Altmer turned to the Psijics for guidance, somewhat ironically consulting their distant past for a path to their future, while some militant radicals turned to terrorism.
These tentative reforms were substantially reversed at the turn of the Fourth Era by the rise of the Thalmor, who instituted a policy of persecution and even open slaughter of dissidents and non-Elven races. Numerous surviving Altmer dissidents were forced to flee to other parts of Tamriel, where they were frequently targeted by Thalmor assassins. While many Altmer continue to disagree with the Thalmor in private, few venture to oppose them publicly.
== Culture[edit] ==
=== Holidays[edit] ===
; Feast of the Immortal Subterfuge
: A gold leaf mask mounted to a plaque may be displayed by Trinimac worshippers during this holiday.
|-|Ayleid=
: "From fire, life; from light, magic." — Ayleid phrase
Laloriaran Dynar, the Last King of the Ayleids
== Contents ==
 [hide] 
* 1History
** 1.1The Late Ayleid Period
* 2Society
** 2.1Religion
* 3Gallery
* 4Notes
* 5See Also
** 5.1Books
* 6References
The Ayleids, also known as the Heartland High Elves, Wild Elves or Saliache were the first race to establish an empire in Tamriel, and had ruled modern-day Cyrodiil for countless years dating back to before recorded history. Ayleidoon, their language, is similar to Aldmeris, the ancient language of the Aldmer. The Ayleids were the original founders of the Imperial City, which they called the "Temple of the Ancestors". However, their empire collapsed in the early First Era. While it's believed that the Ayleids remain in the wilds of every province on Tamriel, sightings have been few. There have been no known sightings in the Third or Fourth Eras.
Much like how the ruins of the lost Dwemer dot Hammerfell, Skyrim, and Morrowind, the Ayleids have left ruins scattered around Cyrodiil and other regions which were once under the dominion of their Empire. These underground cities can prove deadly for adventurers, hiding such dangers as traps, monsters, undead, and criminals. Their cities were amazing feats of architecture ranging from small settlements to gigantic, labyrinth-like metropolises shaped out of whitish rock. They also seem to have had a firm grasp of the magical arts, as many of their ruins contain stones filled with magicka essences harvested from the sky. They also developed what came to be called the school of Alteration, as they were skilled in magics such as shapeshifting and levitation. As for their appearance, like all elves, they were most likely thin and lean with pointed ears and angular facial features. Their complexion was lighter than that of the Dunmer, but they were darker than Altmer; their skintone being a light tan to a dark bronze in color and their eyes ranging from white to turquoise. They preserved many of the ancient runes and Dawn Era magics of the Ehlnofey that other elves had forgotten. The prophecies of the moth-eyed foretold that Ayleidic hubris would "bear bitter fruit", a warning that many, apparently, failed to heed. It would be their undoing.
Ayleid ruins, as seen in Oblivion
== History[edit] ==
: "Wear lore as your armor."
The Ayleids began as groups of Mer who left the Summerset Isles to create splinter cultures in central and southwest Tamriel.  The first left in the Middle Merethic Era, after the area had been charted by Topal the Pilot and others, In some cases, they left specifically to evade the strictures of Aldmeri regulation, which forbade (among many other things) the worship of Daedra. The Ayleids were in High Rock as early as the First Era, and their ruins can be found throughout the province, including the Wrothgarian Mountains and as far as the island of Betony.
Though they settled predominantly in Cyrodiil, the "Barsaebic Ayleids" also had settlements in modern-day Black Marsh. The Ayleid rulers of Black Marsh were renowned as necromancers and titled the Fenlords. The cities Gideon and Stormhold were originally Ayleid settlements whose names have been lost to history. The earliest Aldmeri account of the Heartlands of Cyrodiil from Topal the Pilot speaks of friendly feathered Bird Men who resided there, but these natives disappeared from history, only to be replaced by the Ayleids. It is also alleged that the Bird Men were enslaved by the Ayleids.
Far away from Alinor, Ayleidic culture flourished. In the last millennium of the Merethic Era, Daedra worship took hold and spread among the Heartland High Elves. The cults devoted to the various Daedric Princes which had sprung up across Cyrodiil, once merely tolerated, became celebrated. Unlike the Chimer who left Summerset in the Late Middle Merethic Era, the Ayleids made no distinction between "good" and "bad" Daedra. Even some of the more heinous Princes received mass veneration, especially when their worship was adopted and endorsed by Ayleid kings and aristocrats.
The Ayleids made deals with Daedra for more power, blessings, and other advantages. They employed entire armies of Daedra to conquer, subjugate, and enforce their rule. In the earliest Cyro-Nordic stories, Shezarr fought against the Ayleids on mankind's behalf, then vanished, presumably to go help humans elsewhere. Without his leadership, the Cyrodiils were dominated and enslaved by the Ayleids. At first this enslavement of the Nedic peoples was occasional, but eventually this became a systematic, widespread institution of Ayleid society. They eventually controlled the entirety of modern-day Cyrodiil, and kept the Nedic peoples there enslaved for generations. The Ayleids are also said to have enslaved beastfolk.
The example of the Nords to the north inspired the Alessian Slave Rebellion of 1E 242. Alessia's rebellion coincided with a civil war within the Ayleid Empire which led to many rebel Ayleid lords joining forces with Alessia and aiding her rebellion. These allies of Alessia were largely Aedra-worshippers, indicating that the schism among the Ayleids was likely related to religious differences.
Skyrim, of course, lent help to their enslaved relatives under the Ayleid Empire, which also played a part in the Ayleids being overthrown. In only a year, the Slave Queen Alessia and her supporters had taken the White-Gold Tower, founded the Alessian Empire, and secured the subsequent shift in power from mer to men on Tamriel.
=== The Late Ayleid Period[edit] ===
: "Our exiled Elven ancestors heard the welcoming gifts of peace in the streams and beech trees and stars."
The Alessian Slave Rebellion was devastating to the Ayleids. Legend says entire settlements were slaughtered at the hands of Alessia's champion, Pelinal Whitestrake. Though the Ayleids would continue to have a presence in Cyrodiil for several hundred years, the fall of the White-Gold Tower in 1E 243 signaled the beginning of the Late Ayleid Period. The tower was turned into the Imperial Palace by Alessia and her descendants, and it remains so to this day. The Bravil region was one of the very last areas to be liberated by the Alessian army. It took Alessia's forces, led by Bravillius Tasus, four attempts to finally defeat them. In these early years, the Alessian Empire forbade the worship of the Daedric Princes and focused on hunting down and exterminating Daedra-worshipping Ayleids.
Ayleidic culture lingered in the Aedra-worshipping city-states that survived as client kingdoms of Alessian Cyrodiil, but resentment at the continued presence of Ayleid nobles within the Empire was a contributing factor to the rise of the so-called Alessian Order founded by Marukh. In 1E 361, the Alessians gained control of the Empire and enforced the Alessian Doctrines throughout its domain. The Ayleid lordships were abolished. Enforcement of this decree does not appear to have required much direct violence — it seems that by this point the balance of power was so overwhelmingly against them, and their fate so long foreshadowed, that most of the remaining Ayleids simply left Cyrodiil in an event known as the Ayleid Diaspora, eventually being absorbed into the elven populations of Valenwood and High Rock. It's speculated that the exodus of the Ayleids from Cyrodiil may have vastly strengthened the Direnni Hegemony in High Rock - in which case, the Ayleids had their revenge, as the war with the Direnni eventually crippled the Alessian Empire and brought about its fall.
The only known Ayleids who remained in Cyrodiil served as mentors and tutors for the new human nobility. The last remaining kingdom of the Ayleids, Nenalata, was last heard of in 1E 482 at the Battle of Glenumbria Moors. Following the battle, the so-called last king of the Ayleids, Laloriaran Dynar, was lured back to Nenalata and tricked by Molag Bal to henceforth serve as a prisoner in Coldharbour. Whether Laloriaran Dynar's people made it through the next few centuries is unknown, but this was a significant event: the Late Ayleid Period was ended, and the Ayleids would never again be seen as a military or political power.
It is possible that some tribes of Ayleids may continue to live deep within the forests of Cyrodiil even into modernity, yet the most recent reported sightings are more than 1000 years old. These Ayleids, or Wild Elves, are at best a rarity and may not have actually survived into modern times.
== Society[edit] ==
: "In the caverns of lore, ugly and obscure, shines the gold of truth."
The Temple of the Ancestors
Ayleidic society was an alliance of kingdoms united under one empire, which ultimately ended in 1E 243 with the death of their champion, Umaril the Unfeathered, and the fall of the White-Gold Tower.
The impact of the loss of the Ayleids' tower, what they called the "Temple of the Ancestors", should not be underestimated. They had built it in emulation of the Adamantine Tower, and made the Chim-el-Adabal, which they believed to be the crystallized blood of the Heart of Lorkhan, into the tower's Founding-Stone. It is the site where the Ten Ancestors, statues sacred to the Ayleids, were traditionally held. They were spread to various other settlements during the siege of the White-Gold Tower for safekeeping, but were not reunited again until the late Third Era, long after the fall of the Ayleids.
Ayleids frequently adorned themselves with feathers and magic beads. They are said to have been "obsessed" with the number eight (which may have been why the pantheon Saint Alessia created was made up of Eight Divines).
Most humans, at least, agree that the Ayleids' fall from power, if not their extinction, is for the better, as the portrayals of them passed down by their former slaves are not kind. Their scholars label the Ayleids as bellicose and arrogant, and point to this being the ultimate reason for their downfall. Slaves were utilized by the Ayleids for a variety of purposes, including agricultural work, entertainment, and the building and maintenance of their empire's infrastructure. According to legend, the Ayleids literally turned cruelty into an art form, and many Daedra-worshipping Ayleids across Cyrodiil derived strange pleasures from "art-tortures".
Palolel, an Ayleid Queen
Typically, Ayleid kingdoms where the most malevolent Daedric Princes were worshipped also proved to exhibit the worst treatment of their slaves. Various settlements became famous for their particular, elaborate method of torturing their slaves, such as "wailing wheels", "gut gardens", "flesh-sculptures", and forced ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs, as well as nighttime "tiger sport", which involved the immolation of human children.
Magic was an enormous part of their society. In accordance with High Elf religion, they believed Nirn was composed of four basic elements: earth, water, air, and light (as opposed to the four elements of modern natural philosophy: earth, water, air, and fire). Some of their magic tapped into the power of the weather. The most sublime form was starlight, as the stars were the link between Mundus and Aetherius. They used aetherial fragments which fell from the heavens, particularly meteoric iron, to construct receptacles which are believed to harness energy from starlight. These "Ayleid Wells" are scattered all over Cyrodiil, and can still be used by mages to replenish their energy. The logic used in their placement is a mystery, and none are known to be associated with any particular Ayleid settlements. They kept specially cut pieces of meteoric glass known as Welkynd Stones (meaning literally "sky children") as storage containers for magical energy, as well what are called Varla Stones (or "star stones"). This was still an emerging technology when the Alessian Slave Rebellion brought about the decline and disappearance of their society. Some of these crystals had the capacity to store and release memories directly to the reader; overuse of these crystals can cause a 'problem of capacity' for mortals. Varla gems were occasionally used to imbue the diadems by Barsaebic for that purpose.
As the kingdoms of the Ayleids dwindled, they apparently adapted to a more rural, elusive, and possibly nomadic lifestyle. Any remaining Ayleids are unknown; if they continue to exist, they are likely living in hiding. The Ayleid Sage Tjurhane Fyrre (1E 2790 - 2E 227) talked and wrote extensively of the state of the Ayleids' culture. According to Fyrre, the Ayleids of his time lived in a tribal society, with each "tribe" being substantially different from the next. The Ayleid settlements in modern-day Black Marsh were particularly far removed from the culture of the heartlands, and were never attacked by the Alessian armies. It's not clear how these settlements met their fate.
Ayleid statue
=== Religion[edit] ===
Few blanket statements can be made about Ayleidic religion. They began as splinter groups, and they were never totally united in their beliefs. But while they are most well-known to historians for being "godless" and "Daedra-loving", their society was fundamentally dedicated to the veneration of the Aedra, not the Daedra, until the last millennium of the Merethic Era. Given the importance of magic in their society, it is unsurprising that at least some city-states are known to have venerated Magnus, the god of magic and the Aedra's absent comrade. Scholars have also concluded, though, that the Daedric Prince Meridia, who they knew as Merid-Nunda, represented for them the personification of the most-sacred element of light.
Even after the Daedric cults rose to power (discussed above), many Ayleidic kingdoms continued to honor the Aedra. Many slaves in Cyrodiil became Aedra-worshippers by adopting many of the beliefs of their masters, and it's suspected that Alessia incorporated elven Aedra into her Eight Divines pantheon in order to appease her Ayleid and Ayleid-influenced vassals. Ayleids venerated their ancestors, and Aedra is an Elven word for "ancestor".
Ayleid statues throughout Cyrodiil depict an eagle lifting up a figure carrying a bow and shield from the ensnaring ground. The bow and shield are the weapons associated with the Aedra Auri-El. For the Altmer, the eagle represents the Aedra, and Ayleids presumably inherited this symbolism, as well.
|-|Maormer=
Maormer, also known as Sea Elves, Tropical Elves, Pyandoneans (or derogatorily as Fish Elves), are a race of Mer that reside on the island kingdom of Pyandonea, far south of the Summerset Isles. Similar to their Altmer cousins in build, their skin can range in tone from pearlescent white or grey blue, and Maormer Leviathans can have scales. Some Maormer have strange, chameleon-like skin that is entirely colorless, as if their flesh were made of some white limpid jelly. Some Maormer ears are more broad than those of other mer, and are flared along the outer ear like a clip point blade. Their ears are shaped in such a way that they resemble fins. Maormer eyes can be pale blue, with a faint distinction between the sclera and the iris. Their eyes can also be blank. Their tattoos are elaborate, and they tend to display a vicious demeanor towards the denizens of Tamriel. Maormer are acclimated to life on the waves, and are steady on their feet in even the roughest waters. Maormer tongues can filter saltwater and make it potable.
Among the Maormer, the leviathans are the most feared. They have been described by one scholar as "the spawn of some unholy and sorcerous coupling of Sea Elf and Sea Serpent". They are scaly and massive, standing a head and a half over the tallest Nords when they draw themselves to their full height, which they don't often do because they carry themselves in a beastly posture. Maormer leviathans are usually hunched over, their backs bent and arced like a snake ready to strike. When they walk, their movements are akin to slithering in an uneven predatory lope. The Leviathans appear unused to using their legs on land. They move deftly in the water, and can climb effortlessly up the slippery sides of ships. They are capable of stretching their jaws out of place to swallow their prey.
== Contents ==
 [hide] 
* 1History
* 2Culture
* 3See Also
** 3.1Books
* 4Gallery
* 5References
== History[edit] ==
It was once believed that the Maormer of Pyandonea were originally exiles from the Summerset Isle. However, translations of tapestries in the Crystal Tower tell the tale of how the Maormer were likely separated in their original homeland of Aldmeris. According to the legend, the Maormer leader King Orgnum was once a phenomenally wealthy Aldmer nobleman, who used his finances to launch a rebellion against the powers of the land. He and his followers were banished for this to a place separated from Aldmeris by an impenetrable mist, Pyandonea, "The Veil of Mist". This boundary proved so effective that the followers of Orgnum never again disturbed their former countrymen in Aldmeris.
The Maormer were relentless in their drive to conquer Summerset, and there is scarcely a year throughout the First or Second Eras when they did not ravage the coastlines of the Altmer. Every attack launched by the Maormer against Summerset has been led by Orgnum himself, and despite the number of wars and strategies employed by the Maormer, each of these attacks has proved to be an ultimate failure. They also briefly controlled Khenarthi's Roost, and established a treaty with the resident Khajiit.
Maormer slavers controlled the hinterlands of Hew's Bane in the latter years of the First Era, and were still active circa 2E 582. They were also active in Elsweyr and cooperated with Euraxians.
The Maormer were allies of the second Aldmeri Dominion, although the Dominion allowed the kings of Colovia to eliminate Maormer outposts that had been established along the western coast of the mainland.
The last documented appearance of the Maormer was in 3E 110 in the War of the Isle. The united alliance of the kings of Summerset and Antiochus Septim, combining the Imperial fleet and the royal navies of Summerset Isle, together with the magical powers of the Psijic Order, succeeded in destroying the Pyandonean invading armada. It was said that the storm brewed by the Psijic of Artaeum so annihilated Orgnum's fleet that he was never again able to muster together enough of a force to dare another battle.
== Culture[edit] ==
Maormer totems
The Maormer leader, King Orgnum, is a deathless wizard who it seems is not only immortal but grows more youthful by the century. He is said to be the Serpent God of the Satakal. Under Orgnum, Maormer identity and culture is defined by the goal of capturing the Summerset Isles and hatred for the Altmer; this to the extent that it has been described as "practically all [the Maormer] live for". Maormer of Pyandonea live in clan-based society.
It is unknown what other entities besides Orgnum and Satakal are followed or worshiped by Maormer, but they acknowledge numerous gods. They speak of Mother Sea in reverence, but whether they refer to the entity or place is unknown. At least some Pyandonean Maormer followed Hermaeus Mora.
The Maormer are believed to practice a powerful form of snake magic, which they use to tame the sea serpents of their island for use as steeds and warbeasts. These sea serpents serve as King Orgnum's guards and occasional mounts. Local legends in Hew's Bane allege that in the latter days of the First Era, Maormeri snake magic was used on ensorcelled locks when capturing slaves to ensure that they remained docile and compliant. Maormeri ships are described as looking insectoid, with membranous sails and a rugged chitin hull, flying a markedly alien flag. Maormer use fire salts to warm their food on long voyages.
Maormer sailors are nimble acrobats who excel at boarding enemy ships. The Maormer have a reputation for being adept storm mages. They have harnessed the power of water, air, and lightning to assault their enemies. Their mages also conjure Storm Atronachs, and can shape them to look like animals, such as bears and tigers. During naval battles, Maormer Sea Mages conjure winds and storms to toss their foes' ships around on the waves.
The Maormer have many methods of using storm magic to obliterate their foes. They can whip up hurricanes with the intent to destroy entire fleets. They can do so with a ritual using serpent-shaped storm totems to siphon life energy from sacrifices marked with runes. Blood sacrifices such as these are only utilized when a summoner needs to rapidly accrue and release a lot of energy. The energy from the totems can be used to form powerful hurricanes, or it can be funneled into a storm atronach, which can only hold so much energy before it discorporates. Maormer mages can use wind energies to bind the creature until it performs its intended function. When it explodes, it releases a wave of energy that kills everything it touches, except for creatures with an affinity for storm energy, such as Thunderbugs.
The Maormer breed and train a wide variety of marine predators as pets and tools for combat. The winged reef vipers are commonly trained for warfare, and can leap high out of the water to land on an enemy vessel. Sea Serpents large enough to capsize warships are also among the beasts the Maormer have domesticated for warfare.
|-|Falmer=
The Falmer are blind, corrupted descendants of the ancient Snow Elves that live deep beneath the surface of Skyrim. They are known to stalk and attack intruders in various underground areas, primarily Dwemer ruins. Adventurers can often quickly tell when the Falmer inhabit a place thanks to their odor, which is said to be repulsive. They have been known to come up to the surface to attack the unwary. They are roughly man-sized, but hunched over and "ugly", resembling creatures of goblin-kind more than their own Mer ancestors. They have no noses, only bat-like long slits for nostrils, attributed in some Nordic folklore to Ysgramor cutting their noses off to "tell them apart from other Elves". Their ears are distinctly pointed, their skin pallid, and their eyes lifeless and black.
Much as "High Elf" and "Wood Elf" are interchangeable terms for "Altmer" and "Bosmer" respectively, "Snow Elf" is really just another term for "Falmer". The Snow Elves were a proud and prosperous race of mer who occupied a portion of modern-day Skyrim until they were displaced by the invading Nords. Many of the ancient Snow Elves were betrayed in a deal for asylum they struck with the Dwemer. The Dwemer forced their wards to subsist only on toxic fungi which twisted them into sightless slaves. It's the descendants of these slaves who many of the people of Tamriel have come to know as the Falmer, while their grand ancestors are remembered as Snow Elves. The Falmer were able to adapt to life underground, but have lost the sophistication the Snow Elves exhibited. For garments, they wear only rags and leathers. They live in tents and huts; employ traps to guard their territory, keep chaurus and shellbugs as livestock, and utilize roughly-made weaponry and tools, some even demonstrate an aptitude for magic.
Few know that an unknown number of Snow Elves rejected the Dwemer's deal and went into hiding, or that some of them survived, uncorrupted, into modern times. Knight-Paladin Gelebor of the Chantry of Auri-El, the only known Snow Elf still alive today, embraced the distinction between "Falmer" and "Snow Elf" due to the negative connotations "Falmer" had taken on among travelers over the millennia, but he personally knew his fallen brethren as the Betrayed. Falmer are cited in Skaal legends of Solstheim as "servants of the Adversary" and "evil beings".
== History[edit] ==
A female Falmer
The Snow Elves and Nords fought for centuries, from the Late Merethic Era to the early First Era, but the Snow Elves were steadily pushed back by waves of Atmoran reinforcements. The devastating loss of the Snow Elf leader, the Snow Prince, ended the Snow Elves' last, best hope. They had long maintained an uneasy alliance with the Dwemer, whose underground cities remained safe from the Nordic incursion on the surface. And so, faced with extinction, they called upon their kin for help. The Dwemer agreed to provide them a haven, but only at the price of their sight. The Snow Elves who agreed, the Betrayed, were forced to consume only toxic fungi which rendered them blind. Notably, the Nords also took Falmer slaves in the course of their conquest, forcing them to construct the city of Windhelm. During the reign of the Nordic High King Harald (1E 143-221), the last of the Snow Elves (at least, to the Nords' knowledge) were driven from the province's traditional borders.
Over time, the servants of the Dwemer became their slaves. Ancient torture chambers found in Dwemer ruins are suspected to have been used to keep their elven brethren in line. The Betrayed eventually rebelled, leading to the purported War of the Crag which raged underneath Skyrim for decades while the Nords above remained oblivious. This war presumably ended around 1E 700, when the Dwemer race vanished from the face of Nirn. While these Snow Elves are believed to have been rendered blind by the Dwemeri toxin, it's unknown whether this toxin is entirely responsible for transforming the Betrayed into their current state. Some suspect that it took many generations for them to be so thoroughly changed.
With the Dwemer gone, it was just a matter of time before the Falmer rediscovered their old enemies on the surface. Falmer raids to the surface world became common legend, and the Nords grew to blame them for almost every instance of misfortune. Nordic stories speak of these goblin-like creatures rising up from the ground in the dead of night to slaughter cattle, poison crops, attack lonely travelers, steal sleeping babes from their cribs, and spoil root cellars with poisonous slime. While few Nords will admit to fear of any kind, the topic of "snow ghosts" reliably sets any northerner on edge, and they are also called by many misnomers such as "bogles", "riekr-kin" or "clatter-coats". Ysgramor is credited by some Nords for driving the Falmer underground, the Nords see them no better than worms. They utilize tamed chaurus, a poisonous, chitin-covered insect found in the deepest reaches of Skyrim, for many of their needs. According to Gelebor, they have a strong hatred for all but their own race, and enslave the very few they do not kill. By the Second Era, the Falmer had devolved to their modern form and mostly dwelled in the Blackreach cavern system, though some old locals still knew them for their true nature as Falmer.
By the Fourth Era, it had become difficult for people to dismiss the Falmer as a myth, as they had expanded their presence in Skyrim's underground, making sightings much more frequent. Their existence, once treated as superstition, became common knowledge. It is thought that their increasing activity is related to a planned invasion of the surface world.
Other elves are frequently repulsed by the idea that these Falmer were once mer like themselves, and many question whether they are truly all that remain of the legendary Snow Elves. Knight-Paladin Gelebor, the only known answer to that question, held sympathy for the Betrayed, though they ultimately showed no mercy for the Snow Elves at the Chantry. The Falmer swarmed the Chantry in vast numbers, and the hundred or so Snow Elves hiding there were wiped out, leaving Gelebor the only survivor. Nevertheless, he only considered them sad and twisted beings. Gelebor doubted the Dwemeri toxin was enough to cause their transformation, and suspected that other forces may have been at play. While he doubted that they could be truly "cured", he had noticed a rise in their intellect over the ages, and he hoped that they could once again return to the light and the worship of Auri-El. While their intellect may be on the rise, the Falmer have still proved incapable of picking many of the sturdier Dwemer locks.
|-|Snow Elf=
The Snow Elves, also known as the Ancient Falmer or Ice Elves, are a proud race of mer with an unusually great aptitude for magic. They tend towards cold, remote regions, and inhabited most of Skyrim and some sites in High Rock, before being displaced by the Nords in the late Merethic Era and early First Era. Before that, they had a civilization which rivaled even the Altmer of the Summerset Isles. They resemble the golden-skinned, white-haired, pale Altmer, and have very long lifespans, as well as a strong resistance to frost, to the point where they were immune to cold and could live comfortably in ice caverns. Legends say they favor spears and archery in combat.
Much as "High Elf" and "Wood Elf" are interchangeable with "Altmer" and "Bosmer" respectively, "Falmer" is really just another term for "Snow Elf". However, most people, even the Snow Elves themselves, demonstrated a preference for "Snow Elf". In this case, time eventually provided distinct meanings for the two terms. Many of the ancient Snow Elves were betrayed in a deal for asylum they struck with the Dwemer. The Dwemer forced their wards to subsist only on toxic fungi which twisted them into sightless slaves. It is the hideous descendants of these slaves, whom other Snow Elves called "the Betrayed", who have come to represent the Falmer to many of the people of Tamriel. People often refer to the grand ancient race of Skyrim elves as Snow Elves, and to their barbaric remnants as Falmer.
Few know that an unknown number of civilized Snow Elves rejected the Dwemer's deal. Even fewer know that some have survived, uncorrupted, into modern times. Knight-Paladin Gelebor of the Chantry of Auri-El, the only known and potentially last Snow Elf still alive today, embraced this distinction between "Falmer" and "Snow Elf" because of the negative connotations "Falmer" had accumulated over the millennia. Gelebor believes it is possible that there are some other isolated conclaves of surviving snow elves nestled elsewhere on Nirn.
The Great Statue of Irkngthand, a rare depiction of a Snow Elf
== History[edit] ==
It is unclear whether other mer also inhabited Skyrim (besides the underground Dwemer and ancient Orcs in strongholds); early accounts are mostly from the Nordic perspective, which usually only refer to "the elves" without making distinctions. But elves in ancient Skyrim are assumed to be Snow Elves, in whole or in part.
The empire of the Snow Elves was expansive, wealthy, and prosperous in the Merethic Era. They displayed power beyond what could be expected of the time. However, they found themselves constantly in conflict with the proto-Nords coming over from Atmora. The Nedic peoples either cohabited with or were enslaved by the elves in other parts of Tamriel; only in Skyrim did relations break down into widespread conflict. It's unknown when the conflict began; the earliest human settlements in Tamriel date back to ME800-1000, and sources suggest the relationship remained relatively harmonious for some time.
The Inner Sanctum of the Chantry of Auri-El, a relatively well-preserved example of ancient Snow Elf architecture
=== The Return[edit] ===
Why the elves of Skyrim instigated the Night of Tears is disputed; attributed motives include fear, religious and military provocations, territorial disputes, and a desire to possess an ancient power the humans had uncovered (the Eye of Magnus). Regardless, the elves attacked the human capital of Saarthal one night and razed it to the ground. The only known survivors were the Atmoran-born ruler Ysgramor, as well as his two sons Yngol and Ylgar. They fled to Atmora, only to return with a vengeance. Ysgramor's Five Hundred Companions wiped out any elves they came across, clearing the way for more settlers to come in their wake. The Nords reportedly killed the Snow Elves by the thousands, fashioning their ears into necklaces as morbid trophies. Their descendants continue to glorify their ancestors' genocidal attacks against the Snow Elves; one of the most popular songs in Skyrim is "The Slaying of the Falmer Princes".
After wiping out organized elven resistance in Skyrim, the Nordic armies sought their enemy out on the island of Solstheim. The elves made a last stand in the Battle of the Moesring: after an intense battle, their leader, the Snow Prince, was killed, and the elves were routed. The age of the Snow Elves was done.
Though they steadily lost ground, the Snow Elves had been firmly entrenched in Skyrim, and they persevered into the early centuries of the First Era. In fact, the massive yet well-hidden Chantry of Auri-El, a great magical and architectural achievement even by today's standards, hadn't even been constructed by the Snow Elves until the early First Era. It was not until the reign of High King Harald (1E 143-221) that the elves were believed to have been driven from the present borders of Skyrim, though the Snow Elves continued to hide in the newly-established Nordic kingdom.
=== The Disappearance of the Snow Elves[edit] ===
The Snow Elves had long maintained an uneasy alliance with the only other known group of mer who inhabited Skyrim: the Dwemer. The Nords established their supremacy in Skyrim, and after the devastating loss of the Snow Prince, most Snow Elves turned to their underground brethren for help. After all, there were many Snow Elf legends lauding the honor and glory of the Dwemer. The Dwemer offered to provide them a haven, but forced their wards into servitude, only allowing them to consume a toxic fungus which rendered them blind. Over time, the servants became slaves. Ancient torture chambers found in Dwemer ruins are suspected to have been used to keep their elven brethren in line. While these Snow Elves are believed to have been rendered blind by the Dwemeri toxin, it's unknown whether it was this or some other tragedy which twisted the Betrayed into the primitive creatures which have terrorized the Nords for millennia: the Falmer.
Ylgar leads the Companions in battle against the Snow Elf Warriors
Some Snow Elves managed to avoid becoming slaves to the Dwemer, instead retreating to hidden shrines or hiding with sympathetic families. Over a hundred were at the isolated Chantry of Auri-El when the Dwemer made their offer, and by the time news of it reached them, they were too late to stop it. These few remaining Snow Elves look upon their twisted brethren with pity. However, these sentiments were not shared by the Falmer, as they attacked their untainted cousins with the same ferocity that they displayed towards the other surface races.
Over the ages, the Snow Elves fell into legend. One story tells of the ancient Snow Elf wizard named Serenarth, who was shot by an arrow from Ysgramor's bow Long-Launcher during the Night of Tears, and with his last strength summoned a mighty frost atronach and he traded the Daedra's spirit with his own. To this day, Serenarth's host form waits, encased in ice within a glacier close to where his frozen corpse still lies, destined to thaw out and seek vengeance on Ysgramor's heirs. The Gwylim scholar Amalien developed a theory about the elves involving Dragons, Dwarves, Magnus the Divine, a band of plucky Atmoran skalds, and a six-legged mammoth. By the time of the Interregnum, peoples of Tamriel believed the Snow Elves to be extinct, near-forgotten Nord legends and the fact that they’d degenerated underground into the feral Falmer was a deep secret. There were few reported sightings of Falmer on the surface, and testimonies that the Falmer were once Snow Elves were deemed to be "outlandish claims" by Imperial scholars.
One of the first real pieces of evidence establishing that the Snow Elves had existed was the discovery of the Snow Prince's remains in Jolgeirr Barrow on the island of Solstheim in 3E 427. Traces of the Snow Elves may be present in the mer of today, as it's suspected that many interbred with other elves before they ceased to exist as an identifiable culture. The Skaal believe that the rieklings of Solstheim are descendants of the Snow Elves, although scholars argue that they are simply snow goblins. Some legends claim Wispmothers are the last remnants of the Snow Elves, which is supported by their behavior and tapered ears. Legends say that one of the reasons Snow Elves met their fall was due to the god of luck, Sai, who brought luck to Skyrim for the Nords, neglecting the Snow Elves.
Arch-Curate Vyrthur in the Inner Sanctum
By 4E 201, what was once superstition had become, more or less, common knowledge: the increased activity of the underground Falmer made it increasingly difficult to dismiss them as myths. It is thought that their activity is related to a planned invasion of the surface world. Other elves are repulsed by the idea that these Falmer were once mer like themselves, and many wonder whether these monsters are truly all that remain of the legendary Snow Elves. Around this time, the Great Statue of Irkngthand, built in secret by the Betrayed, was discovered by the Thieves Guild. It was perhaps the only known depiction of the ancient Snow Elves. However, when the thieves removed the Eyes of the Falmer (which are giant gems of enormous value), it caused the cavern to collapse, burying this priceless treasure.
== Society[edit] ==
Snow Elf temple interior
Little is known of the Snow Elf society, other than that it parallels that of the Altmer. They kept in contact with other elven kingdoms. They developed a complex and nearly indecipherable language. Only a few people in Tamriel can even recognize their alphabet, let alone read it, making it an ideal cipher for anyone with the proper knowledge seeking to encode their writings. They developed their own method of telling time, and magnificent architectural achievements, among other things. Their statues were still remembered for their magnificence. As they were able to inhabit freezing ice caverns, they are said to have bred a species of snow-cedar so hardy it can live even within the heart of a glacier. The Altmer and Snow Elf pantheons overlap significantly, possibly entirely: both acknowledge Auri-El as the sovereign and venerate Trinimac, Syrabane, Jephre, and Phynaster. They had temples to all of them, though none were as impressive as their Chantry of Auri-El. Their writings reference "Young Ones" and "Old Ones", though how precise this distinction is and its significance in their society is unknown.
Many of the most dedicated Snow Elves once committed themselves to a tireless journey through the massive Chantry of Auri-El, carrying with them the paramount desire to become one with their god, Auri-El. After it was constructed in the mythical Forgotten Vale of western Skyrim, the Chantry quickly became the epicenter of the Snow Elf religion. The retreat was designed for those who wished to become enlightened. Initiates entered the Chantry through a cave representing the absence of enlightenment, and carried a ceremonial ewer to each of the wayshrines, small sites of worship which were scattered throughout the Chantry which were used for both meditation and transportation. Each shrine was tended to by a Prelate, who taught the initiates the mantras they were supposed to recite. After visiting the Wayshrines of Illumination, Learning, Resolution, Radiance, and Sight, and dipping the ewer into the water basin of each, the initiates finally arrived at the Inner Sanctum at the end of their pilgrimage and had an audience with the Arch-Curate, a Snow Elf who communicated directly with Auri-El. The only known Arch-Curate was Vyrthur, brother of Gelebor, who was infected with vampirism by an initiate around the time of the Snow Elves' downfall and spent millennia plotting revenge against Auri-El for allowing this to happen.
Though all set out with the determination to prove their worth, few initiates were prepared for the trials of the Chantry. The pilgrims struggled not only against the natural elements of the treacherous vale the Chantry was built in, but with a myriad of tests upon their faith and loyalty. There was great glory for those who succeeded and great shame and scrutiny for those who did not. But the tales of those who reached the Inner Sanctum are not without their share of woes. It is said that upon their arrival, many were mere shells of the person they had once been. Some were quite mad from sleeplessness and starved to the point of frailty. By the end of their journey, the marvel that they had strength yet to carry their vessel and ascend the stairs of the temple was the last true testament of their loyalty. Regardless of each individual's tale, the final words remain eerily similar. It is said that every pilgrim ascended, bathed in light, a look of relief and contentment on their face.
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