Altmer

Os **Altmer**, ou autointitulados "Povo Culto", are a tall, golden-skinned race, hailing from Summerset Isle. They are also known as **High Elves** by the denizens of Tamriel.[1] In the Empire, "High" is often understood to mean proud or snobbish, and as the Altmer generally personify these characteristics, the "lesser races" generally resent them.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4][5] They usually have golden, green, or amber eyes.[6]

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.

The **Altmer**, also known as **High Elves** and **Salache**[1]/**Saliache**,[OOG 1] are a race of elves that inhabit parts of the Summerset Isles. They are one of the ten default playable races, primarily known for their enhanced magical abilities. As a race, the Altmer strive to maintain the appearance of their ancestor race, the Aldmer, primarily through highly selective traditions surrounding marriage and reproduction.

## Alinor

The **Summerset Isles** (also **Sumurset Isle** and, rarely, **Summurset Isle**; during the timeline of *Skyrim*, **Alinor**) are two islands located southwest of Tamriel, west of Valenwood. The province is home to the Altmer. The islands used to be considered part of the Tamrielic Empire, but during the Fourth Era they are the capital of the Third Aldmeri Dominion. Even though the Isles reside in the Abecean Sea, they are still considered a part of Tamriel.

## Morfologia

The Altmer are among the tallest of the humanoid races; taller than humans and even the other mer races. Their skin maintains a very pale golden hue, not quite the pale white of the northern human races such as Nords or Imperials, but far lighter than the Bosmer. They are slender, with prominently pointed ears and almond-shaped eyes.

On average, Altmer are of smaller build than humans, and thus generally not as strong. Their tall stature also makes them less agile than their Bosmeri cousins. However, Altmer are among the most intelligent and magically-inclined races on Nirn, surpassing even the Bretons in magical aptitude.

## História

Altmer are thought to be the most direct, unaltered descendants of the original Aldmer elves,[4] 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.[4][7] 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.[4] They likely warred with the Sload of Thras and other strange, unknown creatures for control of Summerset in ancient times.[4][8] 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.[4]

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).[4][9][10][11] Many different, often corroborating legends claim that the changes of each race were the result of differences in their worship of deities.[9][12][13][14][15][16]

While mainland Tamriel experienced many problems and sagas during the First and 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.[4] Eventually, the Altmer became tired of living under constant threat and in the Second Era formed the Aldmeri Dominion with the Bosmer of Valenwood.[4] However, they could not stand against the forces of Tiber Septim and the Numidium, which crushed the Dominion and finally brought the Summerset Isle into the Imperial fold in 2E 896.[17][18] Then, in the War of the Isle of 3E 110, the Maormer were on the brink of finally taking Summerset, and the Altmer had to accept assistance from the Empire to survive.[4] The Altmer remember these incidents with shame and horror, and they have likely contributed to recent social unrest among their youth.[4]

## Sociedade

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.[4] The Wise (teachers and priests) became the highest echelon, followed by Artists, Princes, Warriors, Landowners, Merchants, Workers, and enslaved beasts such as goblins.[4] 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.[19] Later writings contain no mention of any of these practices; whether they were fabricated, exaggerated, discontinued, or covered up afterwards is not known.[20]

## Cultura

The Altmer are one of the oldest races on Tamriel, one of the earliest descendants of the original mer race of Aldmer, and from there, through the Ehlnofey to the divine et'Ada themselves. As a race, they are extremely proud of their Aldmeri heritage and make a concerted effort to maintain their genetic lineage. Their name translates from the Aldmeri language as **High Ones** or **Cultured Ones**; a name which is often interpreted to mean "tall," or more often, "snobbish." For their part, the Altmer argue that they are the first true culture on Tamriel and still the most civilized race; an argument that even human scholars find difficult to refute.

The Altmer primarily live in the province of Summerset Isle, a large island off the southwest coast of Tamriel, which is southwest of Valenwood. According to their histories, their Aldmeri ancestors arrived on Summerset Isle due to mysterious reasons from the continent of **Aldmeris**. From here, splinter groups of Aldmer spread throughout Tamriel, but the Altmer remained on the Isles, acting as the nominal head of the empire of Altmeri nations on Tamriel. For most of the Mythic Era, the other races of elves on Tamriel acknowledged the Altmeri king as their own ruler, a practice which persisted until the founding of the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood which marked the start of the First Era and the beginning of the decline of Altmer-dominated Tamriel. Their influence is still felt across the continent, however, as their culture forms the basis for the religion, language, and even architecture of the Cyrodilic Empire.

The Altmer also have a very precise culture. From their customs to their buildings, or their appearance to their table manners. If one is to dine at an Altmeri dinner table, they must remember a very precise set of rules:

* Refill the glass of the diner to your left when it is low. Never refill your own glass.
* Never rest utensils on the edge of any vessel.
* Do not eat more than the most prestigious attendee at any function.
* Always allow the head of your table to lead the discussion.
* Never watch another while they chew.
* Using the wrong utensil is considered barbaric. If you do not know which to use, watch other guests and follow their example.[2]

## Religião

The Altmeri religion forms the basis for most of the other religious practices on the continent, primarily due to its widespread acceptance prior to the advent of human civilization. It is generally assumed that the Altmer pantheon derives directly from the original gods of the Aldmer, and was nearly identical to that of the Ayleids that ruled central Tamriel before the Alessian revolt.

The Altmer pantheon consists of nine of the Aedra that originally cooperated to form Nirn, the mortal plane. They primarily worship those Aedra which removed themselves from the creation process in time to save their divinity, with a few notable exceptions. As with nearly all Tamrielic religions, they revere Akatosh, whom they call **Auri-El**, as their chief deity, at least in principle. However, Akatosh, along with the Altmer deities Stendarr (whom the Altmer view as an apologist of Man) and Mara, were part of the creation process until its end, and so were severely weakened from their original form. In practice, the Altmer followed the teachings of Trinimac, the champion deity of the elves, who was still able to physically walk the face of Tamriel during the Mythic Era. Other key divines in their pantheon include Magnus, the source of magic on Nirn, and Phynaster, the patron god of the Summerset Isle, whom the Altmer claim taught them to live much longer lives by taking shorter strides.

Although they do not revere him as a god (in fact, quite the opposite), the Altmer do acknowledge the divinity of Lorkhan, the patron god of man. Much of the early Altmer history involves conflicts between Trinimac and his elves, and Lorkhan and his humans. The Altmer cast Lorkhan as a treacherous, shifty character who tricked the Aedra into carrying out his plan for creation. As the elves believe themselves to be direct descendants from Auri-El, they blame Lorkhan for the loss of their divinity. This is the key difference between human and mer theology: humans consider themselves *creations* of the gods, not *descendants* of the gods. Unfortunately for the Altmer, Trinimac disappeared near the end of the Mythic Era; according to legend, he was eaten by the Daedric Prince Boethiah and reformed into Malacath. The start of the First Era marked the beginning of a sharp decline in Altmer cultural and religious dominance across Tamriel; in modern times, Altmer outside of Summerset are as likely to worship the Nine Divines as their own traditional gods.

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.[21][22] 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.[21][23] 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.[21]

As their hierarchical society developed, the lower classes stopped worshipping their own "lesser" Aedra in favor of those claimed by their social "betters".[4] Thus the Altmer pantheon slowly formed around the most popular and well-known of the Aedra, which included Auriel, Trinimac, Syrabane, Phynaster, Magnus, and Y'ffre, many of whom would later be incorporated into the Nine Divines.[4][21][24] The transition and choices have not gone without detractors.[4]

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 apparently managed to stay friendly with their snubbed mainland brethren and it's assumed they use their advanced magic to help protect the Altmer in times of strife.[4][18][25] A leader of the Psijics, Rite Master Iachesis, apparently led them throughout the entire First Era (about three thousand years), giving some indication of the potential longevity of the Altmer.[25][26]

In recent times (for an Altmer, the last several hundred years), the younger Altmer have been pushing for social reform, an unusual phenomenon for a people who are used to dissidents simply leaving.[4] But there are few if any places left to go at this point. Some change has already taken place: for the first time ever, the Altmer have started letting other races and cultures come to their shores; some have even been allowed to rise to the ranks of nobility in Summerset.[4] Many young rebellious Altmer have turned to the Psijics for guidance (somewhat ironically consulting their distant past for a path to their future), while some militant radicals have turned to terrorism.[4]

## Altmer de Destaque

As they are the longest lived, and eldest, of the mortal races, many key historical and modern political figures are Altmer. These are some of the more notable or well-known Altmer in Tamriel:

* Rainha Ayrenn: The leader of First Aldmeri Dominion
* Vanus Galerion: Founder of the Mages Guild.
* Mannimarco: "The King of Worms," infamous necromancer, and long time enemy of Galerion and his Mages Guild.
* Legate Fasendil: An Altmer legate of the Imperial Legion who despises the Thalmor.
* Chancellor Ocato: The head of the Elder Council in the Third Era.
* Umbacano: Renowned art and artifact collector; one of the wealthiest citizens of Cyrodiil.
* Ryain Direnni, Aiden Direnni: Leaders of the Direnni Clan that ruled High Rock during the First Era; main antagonists of Alessia's empire.
* Mankar Camoran: The mage-priest of the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon.
* Ruma and Raven Camoran, the son and daughter of Mankar Camoran.
* Sinderion: A renowned alchemist of Cyrodiil.
* Elenwen: Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim and coordinator of the Thalmor Justiciars stationed there.
* Ondolemar: Commanding officer of the Thalmor Justiciars of Skyrim.
* Ancano: Thalmor advisor at the College of Winterhold.
* Iachesis: Rite Master of the Psijic Order.
* Celarus: Lore Master of the Psijic Order.
* Calcelmo: Leading researcher of the Dwemer in Tamriel.

## Aparições

* *The Elder Scrolls: Arena*
* *The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall*
* *The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind*
* *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion*
* *An Elder Scrolls Novel: The Infernal City*
* *An Elder Scrolls Novel: Lord of Souls*
* *The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim*
* *The Elder Scrolls Online*
* *The Elder Scrolls: Legends*

## References

1. *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Prologue* — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
2. Jump up^ *Notes on Elven Architecture* — Gastinus Florus, Masons' Guild Historian
3. Jump up^ Ask Us Anything Variety Pack 4
4. ^ ***Jump up to:a*** ***b*** ***c*** ***d*** ***e*** ***f*** ***g*** ***h*** ***i*** ***j*** ***k*** ***l*** ***m*** ***n*** ***o*** ***p*** ***q*** ***r*** ***s*** ***t*** *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition - - The Blessed Isle: Alinor and the Summersets* — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
5. Jump up^ *Antecedants of Dwemer Law*
6. Jump up^ Events of Skyrim
7. Jump up^ *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition - - All the Eras of Man, A Comprehensive History of our History* — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
8. Jump up^ *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition - - Other Lands* — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
9. ^ ***Jump up to:a*** ***b*** *The Changed Ones*
10. Jump up^ *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition - - The Throat of the World: Skyrim* — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
11. Jump up^ *A Short History of Morrowind* — Jeanette Sitte
12. Jump up^ *The True Nature of Orcs*
13. Jump up^ *The Anticipations* — Anonymous
14. Jump up^ *Vivec and Mephala*
15. Jump up^ *Father of the Niben* — Florin Jaliil
16. Jump up^ *The House of Troubles*
17. Jump up^ *On Morrowind* — Erramanwe of Sunhold
18. ^ ***Jump up to:a*** ***b*** *Brief History of the Empire, Part I* — Stronach k'Thojj III, Imperial Historian
19. Jump up^ *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Aldmeri Dominion* — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
20. Jump up^ *Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition* — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
21. ^ ***Jump up to:a*** ***b*** ***c*** ***d*** *The Monomyth*
22. Jump up^ *The Anuad Paraphrased*
23. Jump up^ *Sithis*
24. Jump up^ *Varieties of Faith in the Empire* — Brother Mikhael Karkuxor
25. *On Artaeum* — Taurce il-Anselma
26. *2920, The Last Year of the First Era* — Carlovac Townway

1. ↑ *The Wild Elves*