History

The Aldmeri Dominion was formed when word came down that human supporters

of Molag Bal had taken control of Imperial City in Cyrodiil. Queen Ayrenn,

the High Elf ruler, built the Aldmeri Dominion with the

Wood Elves, who live in the Valenwood just northeast of

the Summerset Isles, and the Khajiit, whom she aided

during the recent Knahaten Flu outbreak that devastated the Khajiit

homeland of Elsweyr.

Queen Ayrenn claims that she has no hatred for the races of Man, but that

she would rather put an infant High Elf on the Ruby Throne than see some

idiot human bring further disaster to Tamriel. She espouses the belief

that rulership is the ancient and divine right of the High Elves and their

allies, and that the foolish children belonging to the other races should

naturally fall to heel.

Goals

The members of the Aldmeri Dominion feel that the short-lived,

quarrelsome and easily-corruptible humans are unfit to rule Tamriel. They

do have a point there - the Imperials who run things in Cyrodiil have

fallen under the sway of the evil Daedric prince Molag Bal, and the

members of the other two factions have a long history of being at each

others' throats.

Races

High Elves (Altmer)

History & Lore

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251452">The Altmer, also

known as the High Elves, are tall, slender and golden-skinned elves, with

long, pointed ears and almond-shaped eyes. They hail from the Summerset

Isles, off the southwest coast of Tamriel's mainland. Unlike the other elf

races, the Altmer seek to keep their race physically similar to their

ancestors, the Aldmer, by way of highly selective marriage and breeding.

They are the oldest race of Tamriel, the first to settle and the first

true culture to inhabit the new lands.

As a long-lived race, the Altmer have a particular respect for ancient

history - or, at least, for their own. They don't much care for the works

of the other, "lesser" races, and the Summerset Isles are all but closed

to any non-Altmer. High Elves believe themselves to be the direct

descendents of the Aedra, the divine beings that created the realm of Nirn

and everything in it. They also have a deep respect for, and inherent

talent with, magic - study of magic is one of the cornerstones of High Elf

culture, and they have mastered it like no other race of mer or man. They

believe in a sort of manifest destiny, and see themselves as the natural

rulers in dominion of all of Tamriel.

Their ancient religious beliefs serve as the base for most other

religions throughout Tamriel, much as their ancient Mythic-Era dominance

continues to influence the language, architecture, politics and cultures

of the other peoples of the land.

Characteristics

In all Elder Scrolls games, High Elves are taller than the other races.

They usually have golden-hued skin and typically pale hair, with long,

pointed ears and almond-shaped, tilted eyes.

In general, they have always had somewhat lower physical attribute

scores, and increased mental attribute scores, giving them a natural

proficiency with magic but weaker physical combat abilities. Additionally,

they usually benefit from specific bonuses to magic - increased Magicka

points - coupled with a reduced resistance to damaging magical effects.

Appearances in Previous Games

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Arena

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Daggerfall

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Morrowind

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Oblivion

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Skyrim



















Wood Elves (Bosmer)

History & Lore

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251453">The Bosmer, commonly

known as Wood Elves, are small-framed, limber-limbed nature-lovers hailing

from the province of Valenwood, the southwest corner of Tamriel. They're

not a bunch of hippy-dippy tree-huggers, though - the Green Pact, a

religious oath sworn between the Wood Elves and the forest god Y'ffre,

dictates that Bosmer may not kill, injure or eat any vegetation. This

makes them strict carnivores. They make their famous bows out of treated

bone and sinews, they ferment milk to make booze, they smoke caterpillars

and grubs instead of tobacco, and they cut no timber for construction.

Interestingly, the Green Pact also dictates that a fallen enemy must be

eaten within three days. Because of this, many Bosmer arrange periods of

fasting and feasting around great battles.

The Bosmer reject lavish lifestyles and civilized formalities, living

amongst nature in the great jungle forests of Valenwood. Their major

cities are located in giant, migratory trees deep within the forests. They

tattoo and paint their faces and bodies as a means of camouflage, and male

Wood Elves often grow beards. The other races view them as half-wild

barbarians or degenerate thieves, but their society is deceptively

complex. It was the Bosmer king Eplear who began the First Era by founding

the Camoran Dynasty, which continues to influence Valenwood nearly 700

years into the Second Era. Their union with the High Elves and Khajiit to

form the Aldmeri Dominion has resulted in arguably the most stable faction

vying for control of Cyrodiil.

Characteristics

Wood Elves are usually shorter and slimmer than the other races, with

long, pointed ears and tilted, almond-shaped eyes. Male Bosmer in TES III:

Morrowind and TES V: Skyrim can wear beards, which is unusual for elves.

Their small, nimble frames make them well-suited for thievery and archery

- they have always had bonuses to certain thievery-related skills, and a

significant bonus to the use of the bow. Starting with Morrowind, Bosmer

also have the Beast Tongue ability, enabling them to befriend the

beasts of the wild, recruiting them as temporary allies. Wood Elves are

somewhat more physically frail than other races, and not as strong, making

them less suited for front-line melee combat roles.

Appearances in Previous Games

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Arena

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Daggerfall

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Morrowind

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Oblivion

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Skyrim















Khajiit

History & Lore

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/251454">The Khajiit are the

feline humanoids from Elsweyr, a southern province of Tamriel. There are

17 different sub-species of Khajiit, the breed determined by the phases of

the two moons during the Khajiit's birth. The Ohmes breed are rather

elf-like, shorter than Bosmer, and paint their faces in cat-like patterns.

The Cathay and Cathay-raht breeds have cat-like, often patterned fur

covering their bodies, long tails and feline faces and eyes. The Suthay

and Suthay-raht breeds are similar to the Cathay breeds, buthave long,

thin cat-like feet and walk on their toes. There are also quadruped breeds

of Khajiit, ranging from the Alfiq, which is the size of a housecat, to

the Senche-raht, which is twice the height of an Altmer (when standing on

its hind legs) and is used as a war-mount by the bipedal Khajiit.

Khajiit culture is nomadic matriarchal, run by Clan Mothers in charge of

each clan of tribes. The cities of Elsweyr are semi-permanent and move

along the trade routes and around the river basins. They are also heavily

influenced by the moons of Nirn, Masser and Secunda.

The Khajiit are fond of sweets, particularly Moon Sugar, a narcotic that

is produced in Elsweyr and forms a significant part of the province's

economy. Moon Sugar is refined into the drug Skooma, which is somewhat

more popular among the non-Khajiit users. Khajiit are largely immune to

the narcotic effects of moon sugar, but not to skooma.

The combination of their bestial demeanor, their shifty, nomadic ways and

their predilection for skooma give the Khajiit something of a poor

reputation among the other races. In Morrowind, Khajiit are often kept as

slaves, and they rarely hold positions of any status in most other

provinces.

Characteristics

The appearance of Khajiit has changed from game to game, which has been

explained by the different moon-influenced breeds. The Khajiit of Elder

Scrolls Online will be of the Suthay-raht breed - the long-footed,

toe-walking variety seen in Morrowind.

Despite the appearance changes, Khajiit have always been gifted at

thievery, gaining bonuses to several thievery skills. Since Morrowind,

they have also had the Night Eye ability, giving them enhanced vision at

night.

Appearances in Previous Games