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The Mystery of the Dwemer
To most they are the Dwarves, to those more knowledgeable, they are the Dwemer (Pronounced DWAY-mer). Either way, they are no longer with us on the world of Tamriel. When they inhabited the mortal plane they formed a freethinking, reclusive Elven clan devoted to the secrets of science, engineering, and alchemy. It should also be noted that the term Dwarf is highly inaccurate, since all indications point to them being of comparable size to other elves. One theory suggests that the Dwemer met and established relations with some friendly giants. These giants have never seen other elves or humans before, so they called them 'Dwarves'. How much of this is true is unknown, but the name seems to have stuck. I will use the proper term of Dwemer when referring to the Dwarves, mainly for accuracy. It might also be worth noting that the translation of Dwemer is 'Deep Elves', although some believe that 'Smart Elves' is a more accurate. This is only intended to be a summary of what is known about the Dwemer. If you wish to read about them in greater detail, may I suggest the 16 volumes of Morobar Sul's Ancient tales of the Dwemer.
I will now start at the beginning. The first records of the Dwemer start back in the Middle Merethic Era. During this time, the Dwemer established underground cities in the Velothi Mountains separating modern Skyrim and Morrowind. One kingdom of note was near Vvardenfell Mountain, which means "City of the Strong Shield" in Dwemer. Another is reported to rest under the city of Almalexia, although this is denied by the inhabitants. One of the other races, the Chimer, Ancestors of the Dark Elves, provoked the Dwemer with minor raids and territorial disputes. This appears to be based upon the difference in beliefs held by the two races. This brings us to the First Era (1E). During 1E240 Morrowind is conquered by Skyrim. This lasts until 1E416 when Indoril Nerevar and Dumac Dwarfking unite the Chimer and Dwemer of Morrowind, and the Nords are driven out of Morrowind. Resdayn is founded as united Chimeri and Dwemeri Kingdom. Nerevar and Dumac unanimously are elected as Leaders of the first Council of Resdayn. When the Dwemer and Chimeri made peace, the Rourken clan refused to participate. The self-exiled clans chieftain threw his mighty hammer, Volendrung, across Tamriel and promised to lead his clan to 'wherever it should fall.' The hammer is usually depicted as a shooting star being followed be gold clad Dwemer. The Rourken clan settled in Volenfell (now known as Hammerfell), which means 'City of the Hammer' in Dwemer. Mean while, during 1E416-1E668, Resdayn flourishes under the new partnership. Peace among the Chimer and Dwemer brings unprecedented prosperity and flourishing of both cultures.
At around 1E668, the Dwemer mysteriously vanished from the face of Tamriel. One theory suggests that the disappearance is attributed to the first eruption of Vvardenfell Mountain. Another suggests that they were destroyed by the Dark Elves. These explanations do not shed light on how all of the Dwemer vanished at the same time. The ruins in Hammerfell offer no clues to the disappearance. Translations of Dwemer texts also fail to uncover the reason for the Dwemer vanishing. The ruins of Morrowind have not yet been excavated, since the xenophobic nature of the Dark Elves prevents any attempts by the Imperial kingdom to search them.
The Hammerfell ruins give a stunning insight into the Dwemer culture. Many mechanical creations have been uncovered in these ruins, most being powered by steam. These constructs range from metal ballista to massive flying craft, but they may only offer a glimpse of what the Dwemer could make.
Overall, not much is known about the Dwemer, and true facts are hard to come by. Not being able to search the ruins of Morrowind is a great hindrance to uncovering the truth. If only we could get an outsider to search the ruins, this mystery may be solved once and for all.
-- Stri'Ker
Khajiit Scholar of the Imperial Province
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