#merethic era

[jag-rat]

Merethic Era Falmer (snow elves)

I was thinking of doing a mini project about Merethic Tamriel and a documentation of the people that were living there in a sort of semi-historic way.

Of course most of it would probably not be entirely lore accurate and there will be a lot of headcanoning but it's fun regardless. So enjoy the first addition to this series.

Falmer: The falmer during the Merethic era were the tallest mer race on Nirn growing on average between 6 - 7 feet. They were also the hairiest and bulkiest on average due to the cold climate. Their culture and practices during this time were very similar to modern day nordic ones due to the cultural overlap and assimilation on the atmorans end when they first arrived to Skyrim.

They valued strength and honour. Their original gods are long lost now however historians speculate the modern nordic gods could share traits with the Falmer's old gods.

In the early Merethic era the snow elves invaded and seized what is currently the Summerset isles. This is how it is assumed Auri-El (An Altmeri/Aldmeri God) was introduced to Skyrim and later would become the primary god in the snow elven pantheon.

Furs, beards, and long hair was the norm in terms of falmer fashion for a long time due to the extreme weather however the shorter hair and beardless look though impractical in such weather was popularised in later years. Again influenced by the fashion trends on the much warmer summerset isles.

Generally speaking when the Falmer weren't invading distant lands or declaring wars with other clans they were a prospering civilisation and in the early days were much like the nords not particularly interested in magic. This was partly due to the fact Skyrim has large iron deposits meaning smithing and weaponry were the most practical but that didn't mean there was no magic at all.

Healers generally could manipulate the weave and tell or even change the future. But when Auri-el was popularised magic become a much larger part of the Falmers lives being combined and assimilated into what they already had. For example enchanting among smiths and manipulation of elements specific to Skyrim (Ice magic mostly).

These changes didn't come fast of course, the falmer were quite stubborn. But over time a cultural shift did happen going from axe-wielding barbarians (As the Aldmer called them) to a slightly more tame society that we know a little bit today.

This didn't come without its challenges however as while the falmer were changing the Atmorans living there were not and in fact had taken on a lot of the cultural aspects or even gods of the traditional falmer. This inevitably was the beginning of the end as tensions got higher with these cultural and religious differences it ended the only way it could, in a war. And well, you know the rest.

Currently the ancestors of the Merethic snow elves thrive in cave systems below ground. While the nords toil above ground, the nords frost resistance of course being a product of falmer and atmoran ancestors. Regardless both societies still hold the values the early Snow elves held. Strength and Honour.

[cryinngcat]

Next chapter out!!! It’s a kinda short one. I’m reeealllyyy looking forward to getting into the fun stuff, but for now we gotta work on getting there.

[hellshire-harlot]

I’m on a Skyrim hyperfixation kick and per usual it’s mainly about the Dragon Cult so: Headshots of all known Dragon Priests (plus three fan made!) and headcanons about them! Presented from oldest to youngest:

Nahkriin. His name means ‘Vengeance’, a fitting name for the Priest of Alduin. He lives in solitude within Skuldafn, tending to his duties unerringly. He is stern but not overly cruel, and his few friends (mainly Ahzidal) know that the stony exterior hides a surprising inclination for harmless mischief. He is Apothisexual and Quoiromantic, and uses He/Him.

Otar. They are the only named Priest whose name does not translate, and that is because Otar is actually their birth name and not the name given to them by the Dragons. Once known as Hahdrem, meaning Mind, they were Nahkriin’s little sibling and a fair, successful ruler. But their desire not to be lost in their brother’s shadow led to them entering into a pact with Clavicus Vile, a pact that drove them mad and plunged their city into ruin. They ages more visibly than any other Priest because they refused to wear their Mask after losing their mind. They are a sex-indifferent Asexual and Panromantic, and use They/He.

Hevnoraak. His name means Brutal, and he more than lives up to that title. He was a vicious and cruel overlord who ruled with terror, brutalizing dissidents and any who stood against him. Like most Priests, he had a harem of concubines, but his particular harem was infamous for being comprised mainly of prisoners whom he found particularly enticing. His bloodthirstiness led to him attempting to become an undead Lich far ahead of the plan to entomb the Priests and reawaken them upon Alduin’s return, and so his city was evacuated and a nord hero was sent to stop him, sealing Valthume and keeping Hevnoraak trapped. He is Bisexual and uses He/Him.

Suleyk. One of my three Priest OCs, his name means Power, a name he earned frighteningly fast. His prowess in battle, defeating every enemy thrown his way and leading the charge in several key battles in the name of the Dragons, made his catch the attention of the other Priests. He was bestowed with the Mask of Heart Stone, and bound to serve the Dragon Krifmulzii. He is a mix of Nahkriin and Hevnoraak- stern and strong, but neither stoic nor sadistic. He is Cupiosexual and Straight, and uses He/Him.

Morokei. His name translates to Glorious, and it’s no wonder why. He is the most magically gifted of the Priests, rivaled only by Ahzidal. It was he who recovered the Staff of Magnus from Saarthal and used it to drive back the Snow Elves. He and his beloved little sister, Tulnir, rule over Bromjunaar with wisdom and grace. He prefers to spend him time reading, studying, or practicing the arcane arts, rather than warmongering with his peers. He is Graysexual and Polyromantic, and uses He/Him.

Zaan the Scalecaller. Her name means Shout, given to her for her rallying cry and her charisma. A stern, devoted woman, she swore her life and the lives of her people to serving her Dragon Patron, Thurvokun. She was strong, her faith in the cause completely unrelenting, until Thurvokun vanished without a trace. In his absence, her devotion became anguish became rage, and to spite the Dragons, she turned to Peryite, forsaking the Dragon Cult entirely. She is Polarsexual and Lesbian, and uses She/Her. (Fun fact: Zaan is the only canon female Dragon Priest!)

Zahkriisos. Their name means Bloody Sword, a name they chose to honor their heritage from the Bloodskal Clan. They were born in the peninsula of Solstheim, and spent their life studying shock magic. Unlike their peers, they kept largely to themself, quiet and introverted. Under Miraak’s tutelage, they rose to great power, and even followed him down the path of rebellion against the Dragons. However, unlike Miraak, they were swayed by Vahlok and remained in power after his defeat. This was mainly due to their relationship with Rahgot, their partner whom they couldn’t bear to betray. They are sex and romance-indifferent aroace, and use They/Them.

Vosis. His name was difficult to translate, but I believe it means Blood Undone. He and Krosis are siblings, but of the two, Vosis is far and away the troublemaker of the pair. Famous for his mischief, he nonetheless served the Dragons faithfully, and generally ruled fairly. Though when put together, he and his little sister were well known for the chaos they wrought. He is Pansexual and uses He/They.

Britfaaz. Another of my OCs, her name translates to Beautiful Pain, an indication of her famous dichotomy. Well-known for her radiant beauty and mercy, something uncharacteristic for a Priest, she was one of the most beloved of the Priests, and wore a Mask of Stalhrim. While merciful and kind she may have been, tales are also told of the horrors she inflicted upon those who wronged her or her people. Unlike some other Priests, she genuinely cared for each of her citizens. She is Demisexual and Panromantic, and uses She/Her.

Rahgot. Their name means Anger, a fitting name for one of the most volatile Priests. While known for snapping at others and being quick to rage, they were also able to hold their tongue and govern wisely, often coming up with creative solutions other Priests hadn’t even considered. Their better half, Zahkriisos, often facilitated this, but that’s not to say that either of them were on their best behavior when together. They were also known for sparring frequently with other Priests to train, most commonly Vokun, whom they shared a complicated frenemy relationship with. They are Bisexual and Demiromantic, and use They/Them.

I’ve reached the image limit, so part 2 to this post will come soon!

[illumiera]

[holding elentari and miraak by the scruffs of their necks while i write my WIP] you two want to kiss each other so bad it's making you stupid

[elvensnowart]

origin story

[heliosynchronisity]

TES still microwaves my brain constantly just haven't had a "main" char to focus on rn other than my current Yazara play thru. But while hanging around Markarth I've been thinking about making a Forsworn character. I'd really like to explore that part of the lore more and perhaps use it as an opportunity to rewrite and redesign the reachmen to be well.. less... ya know. Because I find them suuuper interesting and a part of elder scrolls and esp skyrim lore that could be so unique and interesting if actually given some time and thought.

My main thoughts abt what i'd do with them are;

Have their culture and appearance focus more on their connection to hagravens, folk magic and old pre-imperial gods.

Perhaps they wear primarily leather and animal hide because of bosmeri influence? (during the merethic era)

ehh thats all i got so far

im thinking for the oc i have in mind, maybe the daughter of a hagraven or witch who's invested in the politics of the reachmen issue. Also thought maybe could make a good LDB character, but idk if i wanna have two LDB as i would have to juggle different timelines. i feel like she would make a good adopted daughter of my ldb tho so maybe could do smth with that?

edit: for the record i havent read up on ESO's interpretation of reachmen yet, just going off what ive read/seen in skyrim. it'll be taken into account lol

[xollii]

my history bookshelf in my skyrim house is better organized than my history bookshelf irl.....

[ancharan]

been getting Extremely back into skyrim lately

[bloodandthebreakingofmyheart]

I have an addition to your theory- Krosis was likely not his priest name.

"Krosis" means "sorrow" or "apologies" in dovahzul. It's possible (and indeed likely) that his name was changed at some point because of something bad that happened... like the dragon he served rebelling. Think of all the other priests- they have names like Morokei, or Otar. Most aren't names immediately translatable from dovahzul, and those with dovahzul names make more sense in their meaning ("Nahkriin" meaning "revenge" or "Miraak" being one letter removed from "miiraak" meaning "portal", for example).

So why is the only dragon priest without a temple named "sorrow"? Going with your theory, it would make sense that the dragon Krosis served was marked as a traitor, and after that, Krosis had his name changed and his temple taken.

Whether it was changed by him, though, is unclear (or maybe it's not and I just don't care enough about the timeline to know when he would've died in relation to Parth's rebellion). Personally, I like the idea that he had his crypt removed and name changed AFTER his death- kind of like how the ancient Egyptians would scratch the names off the tombs of traitors.

listen i know bethesda never stated this but just by the clues it’s 99% possible that krosis was the priest of bleak falls barrow, and it was once paarthurnax’s temple. after paarthurnax’s betrayal and overthrowing the cults power, krosis’ crypt was dumped at shearpoint. dragon priests were hailed as kings and buried in the temples, you don’t dump a figure of that power on top of a mountain for no reason. this also explains why bleak falls barrow is without a named dragon priest despite it being one of the larger ruins in skyrim. 

and i like things that add up. bleak falls barrow is a fairly large ruin, like labyrinthian and skuldafn. so why would there be no named dragon priest? and of course there’s no confirmation that it was paarth’s temple or not, but he was second in command to alduin and that kind of power doesn’t amount to a tiny temple.

[lesbian-lorkhan]

Would it be fucked up if I made Zahyla some weird mix of Vestige, Dragonborn, Lorkhan's Parallel, and a failed Dragon Priest ?

[cryinngcat]

New chapter out! Things are brewing...

[solitarydegarcia]

another fredas in merethic era do not reupload\use

[illumiera]

so, I was just watching s7e2 of Outlander, where Jamie tells Claire that he's dreamed of her in her "proper time" (the 20th century), and that if he dreams of the past, it isn't so unreasonable for him to be able to dream of the future, too—and all I could think was, "Miraak and Elentari Miraak and Elentari Miraak and Elentari Miraak and—"

because he is dreaming of the future whenever he dreams of her in the Merethic Era. he just doesn't know that the woman he calls Kundruniik, "Light-bringer", belongs to a time four thousand years from his, and that when she tells him, "we'll meet after the World-Eater falls", she's referring to what she does in Sovngarde, not to his rebellion being a success.

I'm gnawing at my desk: the Last Dragonborn (the last one there'll ever be) dreams of the past; the First Dragonborn (the first one there ever was) dreams of the future, all times that ought to have been impossible for them to see.

and yet they do!

Miraak hears Elentari sing in Tamrielic and joins in himself, perhaps centuries before Old Cyrodilic, the language Tamrielic descended from, was spoken for the first time. Elentari (a Breton, a race that doesn't yet exist) visits Miraak's temple in its glory days and is able to walk through it and see its inhabitants as they lived, listening to Atmoran that will be a dead language by the time she's born. Elentari was named thus upon her birth in the Fourth Era, but Miraak names her "Kundruniik" thousands of years before then. Miraak invents the Dragon Aspect Shout, thus enabling Elentari to use it, but how does he get the idea in the first place? from the way Elentari appears to him in his dreams, millennia before she visits Apocrypha and learns it. those two are just ripping up the history books all over the place—

after all, dragon souls aren't so bound by the laws of time...

[vexwerewolf]

I always figured the Imperials were the good guys.

Nnnnnngh… no. Imperials are the better of two bad options, and it's really muddied because Bethesda lost its good writers years before Skyrim came out. I can feel a hyperfixation coming on, so a quick TL;DR: the Empire is an Empire so it's still bad, the Stormcloaks are just racist saboteurs led by a Manchurian agent and Tiber Septim is a gigantic piece of shit who ruined everything.

Okay, so the Empire functionally lost its equivalent of the Mandate of Heaven when Martin Septim died heirless at the end of Oblivion. His sacrifice forged a new compact to end the Daedric incursions, but by that point Imperial infrastructure throughout Tamriel had been so badly damaged that it could no longer maintain order. By the time the Mede dynasty got its feet under it, several provinces had either risen in revolt against the Empire or and were busy violently settling bitter generational rivalries with each other.

Most notably, this included the Thalmor, who are openly and proudly an Altmer supremacist movement. Their primary goal is to end the dominion of Men on Tamriel and institute a second Merethic Era dominated by them. This is the most obvious reason for why they want to ban Talos worship - the idea that a Man could become Divine is grossly incompatible with their worldview. (I must note that there's also a much-discussed fan theory stating that they intend to unmake creation in its current form and destroying Talos worship is part of that, but it's partially based on sources whose canonicity is in doubt, so I'm not going to discuss it further at this time.) The Thalmor are pretty much explicitly Elf Nazis, right down to invading foreign countries and rounding up their religious minorities.

It should be considered, however, that Tiber Septim was an UNBELIEVABLY MASSIVE PIECE OF SHIT. There's credible evidence that during his mortal life he assassinated the Cyrodillian monarch to whom he had sworn fealty and then seized his throne. He had a dalliance with Berenziah that ended up getting her pregnant, then forcibly abducted her and had the child aborted without her consent. After gaining Numidium from a treaty with the Tribunal of Morrowind, he discovered that they hadn't given them its power source (Lorkhan's Heart - understandable, since it was the source of their false divinity), and so he created a new one, the Mantella, by tearing the souls out of Ysmir and Zurin Arctus, two of his most loyal companions. He used Numidium to brutally conquer the rest of Tamriel and then turned it on all the noble families in Cyrodil who hadn't supported him. His empire - as all empires are - was built entirely on murder, pillage and rape. And - as all emperors do - he rewrote his own history because nobody dared openly oppose it. If the Aedra truly did award him a seat amongst them after this (and the fact that his bloody armor counts as "the blood of a divine" in Oblivion suggests that they did), it's questionable whether any of them are worthy of worship.

Nonetheless, worship of Talos was of extreme cultural importance to the Nords, because he was considered by history to have been a Nord, and indeed born in Atmora, the mythic first homeland of the Nords (although, again, it's likely he was just fucking lying - heterodox historical accounts suggest he was born in High Rock and never saw Atmora in his life). The White-Gold Concordat was formulated specifically to provoke division between the remaining provinces of the Empire - the Thalmor correctly predicted that the Nords would never tolerate being stripped of their right to worship Talos, and would rise in revolt against an Empire that mandated it.

The specific cause of the Stormcloak Rebellion is also… dubious. During the war with the Thalmor, the Imperial Legion had all but pulled out of Skyrim. This allowed an uprising by the Reachmen, an ethnic minority within southwestern Skyrim who, notably, had been brutally disenfranchised and stripped of their land by… Tiber Septim! Thanks, Talos, you continue to be a gigantic piece of shit! Anyway, they seized control of Markarth and held it for two years, during which by most accounts they ruled it as an independent kingdom that was making overtures towards being recognised by the Empire. After the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, Ulfric Stormcloak raised an army to retake it, and was promised by the Jarl of the Reach (and, allegedly, the Empire itself) that worship of Talos would be freely allowed in Markarth. Ulfric Stormcloak then proceeded to lay siege to the city and butcher it, ethnically cleansing the city of every last Reachman down to the women and children, slaughtering any Nord who had collaborated with them and allegedly even killing those citizens of Markarth who hadn't answered his call to arms.

Inevitably, the Thalmor found out about the Talos worship anyway and the Jarl was forced to sell out Ulfric and his men. This is generally considered to be the betrayal that sparked the civil war, but at this point we must examine who Ulfric is.

Ulfric was trained in the Thu'um from an early age by the Greybeards, but abandoned his tutelage to fight in the Great War. We know little of his performance other than that he was captured by the Thalmor, tortured extensively, and falsely made to believe that the information he had given under torture was instrumental in the fall of the Imperial City. His father, the Jarl of Windhelm, died while he was in prison, and he was forced to deliver a eulogy via a letter that he had smuggled out of the prison. He claims he escaped from captivity, while Thalmor records claim that they let him go intentionally; neither source is particularly reliable.

From a sociopolitical standpoint, Ulfric is a staunch Nordic traditionalist who openly states that he doesn't believe Skyrim has had a "true" High King for centuries, considering recent monarchs to simply be puppets installed by the Empire. He also seems to be deeply racist: in contrast to his father, he banned Argonians from entering Windhelm proper, confining them to the Assemblage on the docks, and he's allowed racist sentiments towards the Dunmer residents of the Grey Quarter to worsen. Even citizens of Windhelm who support the rebellion comment that isn't doing very much governing, since the civil war eats up most of his attention.

One point I will give to Ulfric is that establishing Skyrim as an independent kingdom that can actively resist the Thalmor isn't actually as far-fetched as it seems. After the White-Gold Concordat ceded half of Hammerfell to the Thalmor, Hammefell said "how about fuck you," broke from the Empire entirely, and smacked the Thalmor down so hard they had to sign the Second Treaty of Stros M'Kai and retreat from Hammerfell entirely. This rendered the nation a haven for those opposed to the Thalmor, and they're in such a strong position that the Alik'r can actively hunt Thalmor collaborators like Saadia in other nations. Hammerfell is in a better position than Skyrim, and it did it without any Imperial aid.

(A hilarious fact about the Hammerfell situation is that the Thalmor tried the exact same thing there - inciting a civil war between the Crowns and the Forebears, two factions that have hated one another for generations. Unfortunately, they fucked it up so badly that it actually managed to end the rivalry and unite both of them against the Thalmor.)

But this is where Bethesda's inability to actually capitalize on the good parts of their writing really gets to me.

The Empire in Skyrim… sucks. Like, from your perspective as a player, the first experience you have of the Empire is "okay, so you were at the border alongside this guy and we're executing him today so I guess you get to die too." The only decent Imperial you meet is Hadvar, who makes a lukewarm plea for your life but doesn't press the issue.

All of the Imperial Jarls except for Balgruuf and Idgrod Ravencrone are dogshit. Elisif is a naive, incompetent teenager. Siddgeir is an arrogant, incompetent ponce. Igmund is a spineless Thalmor toady reigning over stolen land, having broken a promise he made to Ulfric and thus being partially responsible for the civil war. The replacement Jarls you get if you side with the Empire and conquer territories the Stormcloaks hold at the start of the game fall into two categories: "who?" and "oh fuck not you." If I say the names Brina Merilis or Kraldar, I bet you won't even remember who I'm talking about. Brunwulf Free-Winter, the replacement for Ulfric Stormcloak, has ONE personality feature and it's "I'm slightly less racist than Ulfric." But when you capture Riften for the Empire, the new Jarl is MAVEN FUCKING BLACK-BRIAR, THE SECOND-WORST PERSON IN SKYRIM.

But the Stormcloaks suck worse. Laila-Law Giver is a puppet for the Black-Briar crime family. Skald the Elder is a grumpy, hidebound old man. Korir might as well not be ruling anything at all. If you side with them, you have to sell out Balgruuf when the matter of Whiterun comes up - a man who has never been anything but helpful, supportive, trusting and forthright with you. Oh, and let's not forget that if you take the Reach for the Stormcloaks, the new Jarl is THONGVOR SILVER-BLOOD, LITERAL SLAVEOWNER AND WORST PERSON IN SKYRIM.

(There is an absolutely cursed timeline wherein during the "territory trade" at the peace talks you can hold during the main quest if you haven't finished the civil war quest yet where Maven gets the Rift and Thongor gets the Reach, meaning you have just installed the two most powerful crime families in the country into positions of executive power.)

This isn't just a case of "of course both sides aren't perfect and have issues." This is just "both sides fucking suck." A better game would allow you to make some headway in resolving the massive issues that face Skyrim, but I've already written like nine billion words here so maybe I should go into that at a different time.

[jiubilant]

compiled headcanons about the staff of magnus (these figure into my rendition of the winterhold questline)

substantiated by canon:

like other aedric and daedric artifacts, the staff is an ada who's taken an inert shape. the psijics count it among the magne-ge and revere it as such

also like other aedric and daedric artifacts, the staff is conscious (in an alien sense, rather than in the same way that a person is conscious) and able to enact its will in the world by choosing who wields it. it can also act volitionally to protect its wielder—or, depending on how it feels about them, harm them—or itself, or anything else that interests it

unsubstantiated, just for fun:

of the ada who helped the god of magic draft the mortal world, the ada who would later manifest as the staff of magnus was most eager about the project and, as a result, rose high in magnus's esteem. taking the form of a staff, a wizard's most valued tool and symbol, is possibly what makes the most sense to it as magnus's former second

whether it never fled the mortal world at all or returned to the mortal world at some point after the terrified flight of magnus and the magne-ge is unclear

its sphere, as a very inconsequential ada who doesn't rival the aedra and daedra in power, seems to be a mixture of "creativity" and "audacious action"

the staff has been sealed underground with morokei by powerful magic ever since he was entombed with it in the merethic era. rumors of the staff being discovered and wielded by various others throughout history are only rumors; whoever retrieves it from bromjunaar in the fourth era is the first to wield it in thousands of years

the staff didn't want to be trapped for eternity as a moldering king's grave-goods and has been seething with rage and frustration all this time. much of morokei's power when he fights the rare interloper who's come to steal his stuff is diverted to bending his own weapon's will so that it won't immediately fly to his opponent

it's distinguishable from staves of mortal make by the fact that it doesn't need to be replenished with soul gems; it's a weak god, but an extremely powerful staff

it changes its shape to better suit or accommodate its wielder and often subtly morphs to reflect its wielder's mood (or its own)

though it seems to be able to understand mortal speech (when it wants to), it's incapable of mortal speech itself, no matter what form it chooses to take. it can make itself understood to other ada, such as dragons and dragonborn, but not to mortals

the number of people—even scholars—who actually know all this information is very small. most wizards regard the staff of magnus as a valuable and dangerous relic, but also just a stick

[thesaintelectric]

for the record him being 4000 years old puts him at having been around for almost all (well) recorded history in the series. 1000 is considered impressive for elves, he's not a reasonable but impressive age for an elven wizard he's a freak. also he's so old his race has changed because a god cursed his entire race and radically changed their appearance.

the elder scrolls series naturally has a lot of insane old man wizards but i think divayth fyr has to take the crown solely because he has so much going on at all times that him being 4000+ years old barely even comes up