Dwarves and why people have ruined them

[nnyftw]

My only experience with elder scrolls dwarfs is that fat one in morrowind. He might have been tall?

 

I always felt bad for that guy.

[kannel2]

well they are dweMER,meaning they are(or were) of elvish origin.

[dezdimona]

The Dwemer (allegedly pronounced "DWAY-mare") [1] were a fabled lost race of Mer hailing from Dwemerth. 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.

 

History

Living in elaborate underground cities in deep tunnels under Velothi Mountains and Red Mountain of Dwemereth, the Dwemer clashed with newly-arrived Chimer over land and religion. "While the Dwemer were an agnostic people, preferring reason to faith, the Chimer were staunch Daedra-worshippers, 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 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 whenever the hammer fell, an image which has been depicted in a number of ruins in Hammerfell. The Rourken named the land "Volenfell," which then later was transformed 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 MetaphysicsThe Dwemer inexplicably disappeared during the Battle of Red Mountain, during the War of the First Council. Tonal Architect Lord Kagrenac constructed Kagrenac's Tools to harness the powers of the Heart of Lorkhan to heighten his race to Anumidum. The disappearance of a whole race in a flash sparked many theories, but is thought to have followed their 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[7], while the majority of the Tonal Architects, including their chief, Kagrenac, remained unconvinced.

 

Even Yagrum Bagarn, the last living Dwemer (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, on chairs, and in beds. This suggests their physical presences were suddenly reduced to ash in some way.

 

According to Chimarvamidium, the Dwemer possessed an ability that was known as "The Calling," which seems to have been similar to telepathy. 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

Technology

 

Dwemer ruins, as seen in MorrowindThe Dwemer appear to have been a highly technologically advanced and particularly dogmatic race. Most of their old settlements are inhabited by enchanted mechanical guardians, or "Centurions." Old machine parts–such as gears, 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.

 

 

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).

 

 

A Dwemer Orrery, as seen in OblivionContrary 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

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 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 precluded them.

 

 

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. 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 no-longer reliable Dwemer machinery within, including the Centurions and other Animunculi, as well as sophisticated traps of which the Dwemer were particularly fond.

 

 

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.

[nnyftw]

The Dwemer (allegedly pronounced "DWAY-mare") [1] were a fabled lost race of Mer hailing from...

 

Long post is long. O.o

[SavageArtistry]

Somebody did make a race to look like the pic you posted. I just ran across it while browsing. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18073 Looks pretty cool. If I played male characters I'd grab it immediately.

[Otterian]

Yeah I always noticed that Dwarven armor is proportional to human bodies, and they obviously didn't make armor for other races that they themselves couldn't wear. Now when I say human, I mean humanoid, you know what I mean