Dunmer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Dunmer, also called Dark Elves, are an elven race in the game series The Elder Scrolls. In game lore, the Dunmer hail from Morrowind. They are the Elder Scrolls variation of dark elves, a popular fictional race in role-playing games and fantasy literature. Gameplay-wise, they are well-balanced and are the recommended choice of race for new players, along with Imperials.

Native-born Dunmer tend to look down on "outlanders", which are other races or Dunmer born outside of Morrowind, though the intensity of this xenophobia varies from place to place. The land from which the Dunmer hail is to the far east of the Empire and is commonly known as Morrowind (which contains the island of Vvardenfell). Slavery is practiced in Morrowind, and slaves are mostly either of Khajiit or Argonian descent, although some men and elves are also enslaved there, a practice that had been more common in the past. The Empire of Tamriel has a ban on slavery but, as part of the terms of Morrowind's entrance into the Empire, Dunmer were allowed to keep their own sacred and traditional laws. However, in the sequel to Morrowind, Oblivion, it is revealed that slavery has been abolished and the slaves freed by the king of Morrowind Province, Hlaalu Helseth, with House Dres and House Hlaalu supporting the move. This can be discovered through dialogue with recurring characters from Morrowind. This is odd, because Great House Dres was built almost entirely on the foundation of slavery, and it is thus doubtful the abolishment is in full global effect.

Though some Dunmer, especially of House Hlaalu, have become assimilated into Imperial and foreign culture, almost all retain many of their traditions and values, and some Dunmer even prefer living a tribal life as Ashlanders - in small, tight-knit tribes in the deserts and scorched plains of the Ashlands and on the plains of the Grazelands [1] In the Ashlands, native tribes rule without laws or care for government, and live strictly by honour codes, rituals and ancient traditions usually dictated by a wise woman or seer. Historically, half of the ancient Dunmer chose this lifestyle, with the others creating or joining the Great Houses and establishing such cities as Balmora or Vivec. The land is so harsh and dangerously infested with creatures such as Alits and cliff racers that westerners and Imperial garrisonmen dare not venture out of the safety of Dunmer settled areas.

The Dunmer themselves, previously known as the Chimer, or 'changed folk' due to their worship of the Daedra, rather than the Aedra (Gods) worshipped by the other Aldmer in Summerset, traditionally gained their dark skin as a result of the Battle of Red Mountain. It was in this battle that the Dwemer were obliterated. The Dwemer are a major part of Dunmeri history. During the battle, all Dwemer were mysteriously obliterated, presumably by their own technology. Though the change in the elves' skin tone was traditionally interpreted as the will of Azura, alternative theories certainly exist. The Dwemer's complex technology could have been the cause instead, as it functioned on a technological level incomprehensible to the "old-world" style, horses-and-swords environment present in the Elder Scrolls world. A proper analogy might be to consider the way ancient cultures may have interpreted genetic warfare, or the atom bomb. The official Imperial line of thought, however, is that the Dunmer simply exterminated the Dwemer and that their blueish-grey skin is the result of adaptation to their harsh, rather volcanic environment.

The Battle of Red Mountain also involved the murder of an ancient and respected hero known as Nerevar (the reincarnation of whom, dubbed the Nerevarine, the player assumes the role of in Morrowind in order to defeat Dagoth Ur). Nerevar was suggested to have been murdered by his own Tribunal which included Vivec, the warrior-poet, Sotha Sil, the clockwork sorcerer, and Almalexia, his wife. These three supposedly killed Nerevar in an attempt to attain immortal life and become the "living gods" seen in Morrowind[2] worshipped by the Tribunal Temple. Another version, endorsed by the Tribunal Temple, states that Nerevar died from wounds he received during battle - possibly with the Dwemer High King, with Dagoth Ur, the larger Battle at Red Mountain, or a combination of the three.

The Daedra Azura (the Prince of Dusk and Dawn and an ally of Nerevar), became angry and punished the entire Chimer race for letting such a disgrace happen by turning their skin "as black as the ashlands" and their eyes "as red as their hearts". Their language appears to be based mostly on the Assyrian language. Three of the favored expletives used by the Dunmer are "n'wah" (meaning "outlander"), "fetcher" (pejorative) and "s'wit" (for enemies). Other Dunmer words include "serjo" (for friends) and "f'lah" (informal term for a person, similar to 'guy').

The Dunmer are not much for sailing.^[1]

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Race page on Codex
• Cultural and Historical information on the world of The Elder Scrolls

Races of The Elder Scrolls
Mer (elves):	Altmer | Bosmer | Dunmer | Dwemer | Orsimer
Human:	Breton | Imperial | Nord | Redguard
Beast:	Argonian | Khajiit | Sload
Divine:	Aedra | Daedra | Dremora