Dunmer (Skyrim)

*For other uses, see Dunmer.*

*"Also known as "Dunmer" in their homeland of Morrowind, dark elves are noted for their stealth and magic skills. They are naturally resistant to fire and can call upon their Ancestor's Wrath to surround themselves in fire."*
―Racial description[src]
The **Dunmer**, more commonly known as **Dark Elves**, are the grey-skinned elven natives of the province of Morrowind. After the eruption of Red Mountain, many Dunmer fled to Skyrim, where they have endured extreme prejudice as a result of their elven heritage and status as refugees. In spite of this, many Dunmer have been able to establish themselves in Tamriel's northernmost province as skillful merchants and mages.

## Biology

Dunmer have characterizing glowing red eyes and grayish skin tones that range from shades of blue to green.

### Height

Both male and female Dunmer have a height of 1.0, which is the standard height for the majority of races in *Skyrim*. When compared with the other elven races, the Dunmer are taller than the Bosmer (0.95) and shorter than the Altmer (1.08).

## History

### Immigration – Eruption of Red Mountain

After the eruption of Red Mountain, many Dunmer fled to Skyrim. Several took up residence at the College of Winterhold, in order to bolster their innate magical talents. Many more fled to Windhelm, which was the seat of the Stormcloaks' resistance against the Empire of Tamriel.

### Azura's vision

Before the destruction that led to the mass exodus of the Dunmer, many of Azura's worshipers received visions of the eruption of Red Mountain. Setting out for Winterhold, these Dunmer built the Shrine of Azura and remained there as priests and priestesses, though they eventually left over time, driven away by the fear of learning their future through the visions that Azura provided. By 4E 201, only one remained, Aranea Ienith.

### Skill bonuses

* +10 Destruction (25)
* +5 Alchemy (20)
* +5 Alteration (20)
* +5 Illusion (20)
* +5 Light Armor (20)
* +5 Sneak (20)

### Starting spells

* Flames (Destruction)
* Sparks (Destruction)
* Healing (Restoration)

All races start the game with Flames and Healing, but only Dunmeri characters have immediate access to Sparks.

### Special abilities

* Ancestor's Wrath: Once per day for 60 seconds, opponents that get too close take 8 points per second of fire damage. Ancestor's Wrath can harm neutral characters such as town guards.
* Resist Fire: Your Dunmer blood gives you 50% resistance to fire.

## Popular usage and unique gameplay

The Dunmer is a versatile race that can fill almost any role, as a result of their racial powers and skill bonuses.

### Combat, Stealth, and Magic

 File:Dunmer.jpg
The Dunmer racial power, Ancestor's Wrath, causes fire damage to any foe within melee range, which seems to benefit most from a melee fighter play-style. Their 50% resistance to fire is very useful when fighting against creatures with fire-based attacks, such as dragons, mages, and flame atronachs. It can confer a natural immunity to heat without having to rely on enchanted apparel, such as Ahzidal's or Otar's masks.

In terms of skills, the Dunmer is an advantageous race for thieves, assassins and mages, as they offer a good balance of stealth and magical talent. This race provides a middle ground between the other Mer species, as the Bosmer are adept at stealth and the Altmer are experts of magic.

The Dunmer are known for their aptitude in magic, especially destruction magic. Dunmer also have increased abilities in other magical classes, including Alteration and Illusion.

### Vampires

 File:Dunmer Vampire.jpg
Seeing as they have a natural resistance against fire, Dunmer could also effectively be used when playing as a Vampire with the *Dawnguard* add-on. As Stage IV vampires have 50% weakness to fire, the Dunmer's resistance counteracts this penalty almost entirely.

## Notable Dunmer

* Aranea Ienith – A priestess of Azura
* Athis – A member of The Companions
* Brand-Shei Telvanni – A merchant in Riften and an heir to House Telvanni
* Drevis Neloren – A master Illusion trainer at the College of Winterhold
* Erandur – A potential follower, a priest of Mara, and a former cultist of Vaermina
* Gabriella – A member of the Dark Brotherhood
* Irileth – The housecarl of Jarl Barlgruuf the Greater
* Jenassa – A mercenary and a potential follower in Whiterun
* Lleril MorvaynDR – The First Councilor of Raven Rock
* Karliah – A Nightingale and a former associate of the Thieves Guild
* NelothDR – A master-wizard of House Telvanni
* The Night Mother – A whispering corpse that leads the Dark Brotherhood
* Savos Aren – The Archmage of the College of Winterhold
* Brelyna Maryon – A student at the College of Winterhold and a member of the Telvanni bloodline
* Teldryn SeroDR – A mercenary and a potential follower in Raven Rock

## Gallery

Dark Elf Male.jpgDark Elf male concept artDark Elf Female.jpgDark Elf female concept art
## Trivia

* One can sometimes encounter Dunmer (usually Dunmeri women) whose skin color is almost navy blue to black. The scale shader in the character creation menu does not allow the player character's skin to be this dark, however.

## See also

* Character Creation – Character creation in *Skyrim*
* Skills – Skills in *Skyrim*
* Spells – Spells in *The Elder Scrolls* universe
* Race – Races in *The Elder Scrolls* universe
* Perks – Perks in Skyrim

## Footnotes

1. ↑ The *getscale* command shows that races all have their own unique base scale.

## Appearances

* *The Elder Scrolls: Arena*
* *The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall*
* Template:Battlespire
* *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind*
* *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion*
* *The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim*
* *The Elder Scrolls Online*
* *The Elder Scrolls: Legends*

## References

1. ↑ *On the Great Collapse*
2. ↑ Dialogue with Aranea Ienith

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