Lore:Dwemer

The UESPWiki – Your source for The Elder Scrolls since 1995

Jump to: navigation, search
Various Dwemer schematics.

The Dwemer (pronounced /'dwiː.mɚ/ɹ̩/[1]) were a fabled lost race of Mer hailing from Dwemereth, the region that is now Morrowind. Their ruins and artifacts are scattered across Tamriel, specifically within Hammerfell (mainly in the mountains of Stros M'Kai), High Rock, and Morrowind. Meric races use the term "Dwemer," which translates to "deep," "deep-counseled," or "secretive" people [2]. They are alternatively known as Dwarves, a term used by Imperials and possibly created by the giants, the Ehlnofey of the Velothi Mountains. They formed free-thinking, yet reclusive elven clans devoted to the secrets of science, engineering, and the arcane.

Contents

[edit] History

Living in elaborate underground cities in deep tunnels under Velothi Mountains and Red Mountain of Dwemereth, the Dwemer clashed with newly-arrived Chimer in 1E 222 over land and religion. While the Dwemer were a somewhat agnostic people, preferring reason to faith, the Chimer were staunch Daedra-worshipers, and considered the Dwemer's lack of belief an affront to their gods.[3] When threatened by Nordic invasion led by King Vrage however, Dumac Dwarfking and Indoril Nerevar forged an alliance against the common foe. The alliance ultimately succeeded in repelling the invaders in 1E 416, leading to the First Council of newly-named Resdayn.

The militaristic Rourken clan, holding to the traditional dogmatism of their race, vehemently opposed the accord with the Chimer and chose self-exile. In 1E 420, the Rourken chieftain threw the Volendrung Hammer across Tamriel and promised to lead his clan wherever the hammer fell, an image which has been depicted in a number of ruins in Hammerfell. The Rourken named the land "Volenfell," which later was somewhat mis-translated to "Hammerfell." The ruins in Hammerfell were inhabited by Dwemer for centuries, but unfortunately give no clues regarding their abrupt disappearance from the face of Tamriel in 1E 700.

Anumidum, as seen in Divine Metaphysics

The Dwemer inexplicably disappeared during the Battle of Red Mountain, during the War of the First Council. The Tonal Architect Lord Kagrenac constructed Kagrenac's Tools to harness the powers of the Heart of Lorkhan. His aims remain unclear, but it is believe he sought to heighten his race to Anumidum. The disappearance of a whole race in a flash sparked many theories, but is thought to have followed this attempt to use the tools on the heart, to make a superweapon, or to make their race immortal, [4] [5], and simply coincided [6] with the war. It appears that the Dwemer were inconclusive as to their opinion of using of the Heart. Some, including Bthuand Mzahnch, opposed its use, warning that massive side effects were likely[5], while the majority of the Tonal Architects, including their chief, Kagrenac, remained unconvinced.

Even Yagrum Bagarn, "the last living Dwarf" (whose existence is owed to the fact that he was in the “Outer Realms” when the event occurred), has no explanation as to what actually transpired. It appears all members of the Dwemer race were simply removed from the world, possibly to an unknown location in the outer realms. In the Dwemer ruins of Bamz-Amschend in Mournhold, Morrowind, there are numerous piles of ashes present next to weapons and armor, on chairs, and in beds. This suggests their physical presences were suddenly reduced to ash in some way.

A theory also exists that their sudden extinction was caused by their reversal of the usual processes involved in the Earth Bones, the laws of nature. Rather than creating profane by commanding the sacred, such as in Conjuration magicks or Daedra worship, they sought to create Anumidium, their own sacred, from the "deaths of the profane."[6]

Vivec, the warrior-poet god of the Dunmer, similarly believes that the disappearance of the Dwemer is in some way owed to their "divine sin" - attempting to create a god for their own purposes from the remains of the god Lorkhan.[7] Whether their use of Kagrenac's Tools in this process or simply their intentions resulted in their extinction remains unclear in this theory.

According to Chimarvamidium, the Dwemer possessed an ability that was known as "The Calling," which seems to have been similar to telepathy.[8] It allowed the Dwemer to communicate with each other over great distances. It has been suggested that, in the last moments before they disappeared, Lord Kagrenac used The Calling to summon all of the Dwemer people and rally them to carry out his plans to transcend the Mortal Plane. Whether this version of their demise is correct or not is uncertain.

A Dwemer Orrery, as seen in Redguard

[edit] Technology

Dwemer ruins, as seen in Morrowind

The Dwemer appear to have been a highly technologically advanced and particularly dogmatic race. Their mastery of steam power (whether this was purely a feat of engineering of whether magicks were involved remains unclear) allowed them to create airships, sentient machines, mechanical observatories, and lighting systems that continued to work for centuries without any maintenance. Most of their old settlements are inhabited by Animunculi, enchanted mechanical guardians, commonly known as "Centurions." They appear somehow linked to their place of origin, and will lose power if removed from the vicinity of this area. This may explain why many Animunculi remain active even after so long, and supports the theory that they are strongly influenced by magicks. The Dwemer were somewhat comforted by their ability to empower lifeless fabrics into active beings, denying the organic power of the gods while at the same time transcending the mortal systems of life.[6] This culture, often seen as sheer arrogance by the other peoples of Tamriel, allowed their technological capabilities to accelerate well ahead of any other race. Old machine parts–such as gears, cogs, shafts, and nuts–are also found within their hallways, many of which are still running. However, the Dwemer also appear to have dabbled extensively and somewhat successfully in some of the more divine (or arcane) arts and sought to harness the supernatural powers of the Divines within their mechanical technology. In fact, there exists within Tamriel a school of thought which holds that it was precisely this knowledge, and the arrogance that accompanied it, that ultimately led to the demise of the Dwemer race.

A Dwemer Starmap
A Dwemer Animunculi, as seen in Redguard.

[edit] Architecture

Dwemer strongholds, sometimes referred to as colonies, often contain ancient steam-powered contraptions, many of which are still running. Numerous pipes can be found in and around Dwemer ruins, and many devices and constructs appear to emit steam from their inner workings. There may be "boilers" or similar components housed inside the Dwemer Centurions. It has been speculated that the constructs are powered by some kind of checkpoint in each ruin, or possibly by the combined signal of every ruin's mechanics, but this is not certain. Dwemer Constructs taken from Vvardenfell, where many Dwemer ruins are present, appear to "shut down" when a certain distance between them and Red Mountain is reached. However, it does seem that many objects that may be found in ruins were once covered in mesh or cloth, which has decayed over the years. This would explain why the "home comforts" of the Dwemer may seem very Spartan to a visitor. There are also few large halls in most ruins. This could be due to the fact that most, if not all Dwemer ruins are underground, where large interior spaces are difficult to fashion at best. Many Dwemer colonies were named after their rulers. The largest concentration of strongholds is in Vvardenfell (which translates as "City of the Strong Shield" in Dwemeris).

Radac Stungnthumz, an undead Dwemer weaponsmith.
A Dwemer Orrery, as seen in Oblivion

Contrary to many legends, archaeological evidence of known Dwemer ruins leads one to believe that the Dwarves were about the same size as the typical human or elf, evidenced by the fact that all existing Dwarven armor is average sized (although some of the books within the game have stated that "dwarven armor" is either the outer shells of machines they built, or mismatched pieces from various devices). This is likely to be because many of the Dwemer resided near the Giants of the Velothi Mountains, who had never encountered any races of Men or Mer before and, in perspective, saw them as being much smaller, and thus deemed them to be "Dwarves." Imperial excavation of Dwemer ruins and machinery supports the Dlyxexic theory that the translation of Dwemer as Deep Elves might also be read as Smart Elves. Indeed, perhaps the brilliant students of the Ehlnofey mentioned in The Anuad are the Dwarves themselves. Many Redguards in Hammerfell have shown a particular interest in the Dwemer ruins there for unknown reasons. Theories persist that Yokuda, the original homeland of the Redguards, was an ancestral Dwemer city.

Concept art of two Dwemer

[edit] Appearance

As previously mentioned, the Dwemer were no shorter than any other elven race, despite being classicly described as such. Their physical appearance is hard to judge, as the last living Dwemer lives bloated and deformed by Corprus, and the only other visual examples come from Dwarven Spectres found on Vvardenfell. It can be deduced, however, that long beards were popular amongst the lost elves, and they preferred heavy metal armors and robes. Their remaining features could be described similarly to that of the other elven races, as no specific information exists.

[edit] Religion & Philosophy

It is unknown whether the Dwemer worshiped any gods. However, it is known that they despised and scorned the Daedra, mocking their "foolish" rituals. In The Battle of Red Mountain, it is mentioned that "[they] preferred instead their gods of Reason and Logic." These may be metaphorical terms, but the fact that Vivec, the author, capitalized them in his writings suggests otherwise. It should be noted that though commonly regarded as profane and iconoclastic, the Dwemer were intensely spiritual and made the nature of the universe an important part of their studies. Science informed their beliefs, rather than precluding them. [9]

Dwemer armor, as encountered in Oblivion

[edit] Artifacts

Dwemer artifacts are highly prized throughout the Empire for trade and collecting, although since they are technically the property of the Emperor under various Imperial charters, the sale of them is illegal. This does not seem to stop artifacts from falling off the backs of wagons or otherwise disappearing into various collections. Everything from armors to housware is greatly sought after, and smugglers will risk execution if caught for such a profitable trade. Dwemer weapons and armor are especially valued, renowned for their excellent craftsmanship and sturdy design. However, acquisition of these artifacts is extremely dangerous, chiefly due to the remote locations of the ruins, and the multitude of aged and unreliable Dwemer machinery within, including the Centurions and other Animunculi, as well as sophisticated traps of which the Dwemer were particularly fond.

Dwemer armor, as encountered in Morrowind

[edit] Language

Very little is known about Dwemeris, the Dwemeri Language, but extensive studies have been made to try and translate it, using Aldmeris as reference and comparison. Several different styles of written Dwemeris appear through the TES series, but none of them features a complete alphabet. The glyphs found in the ruins on Stros M'Kai differ significantly from those found in Cyrodiil and Morrowind, which suggests there may have been dialects or other variations in style across the Dwemer clans. Some of spoken Dwemeris remains in prefixes and suffixes in historic names, such as "Volen-" meaning "hammer" and "-Fell" meaning "city," giving "City of the Hammer," since translated to "Hammerfall."

[edit] See Also

[edit] Books in Aldmeris

[edit] Books in Dwemeris

  • Divine Metaphysics - An explanation of some of Kagrenac's theories.
  • The Egg of Time - An argument for the use of Kagrenac's Tools.
  • Hanging Gardens - A travel guide to the Hanging Gardens of Wasten Coridale, written in both Dwemeris and Aldmeris.

[edit] Other Articles

[edit] References

  1. ↑ http://www.imperial-library.info/obscure_text/forum.shtml
  2. ↑ Pocket Guide to the Empire
  3. ↑ PGE 3rd Edition
  4. ↑ Kagrenac's Tools, Gilvas Barelo
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Yagrum Bagarn's dialogue in Morrowind
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Baladas Demnevanni's dialogue in Morrowind
  7. ↑ Vivec's dialogue in Morrowind
  8. ↑ Chimarvamidium, Marobar Sul
  9. ↑ The Battle of Red Mountain, Vivec

[edit] External Links

Races of the Elder Scrolls
Man Breton | Imperial | Kothringi | Nede | Nord | Redguard
Mer Aldmer | Altmer | Ayleid | Bosmer | Chimer | Dunmer | Dwemer | Falmer | Maormer | Orsimer
Beast Argonian | Imga | Khajiit | Sload
Akaviri Ka Po'Tun | Kamal | Tang Mo | Tsaesci
Divine Aedra | Daedra
Retrieved from "http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Dwemer"
Sponsored Links
Personal tools