As a guest, you will not be required to memorize every detail of the proper behavior at a High Elven dinner table, and surely you won’t be judged too harshly for minor misunderstandings. However, the more you know, the better the impression that you make, and impressions are quite important. Here are a few simple rules to help improve your table presence and impress your hosts:
Refill the glass of the diner to your left when it is low. Never refill your own glass.
Never rest utensils on the edge of any vessel.
Do not eat more than the most prestigious attendee at any function.
Always allow the head of your table to lead the discussion.
Never watch another while they chew.
Using the wrong utensil is considered barbaric. If you do not know which to use, watch other guests and follow their example.
Thirty years of work eaten by a visiting Khajiiti “dignitary.” Eaten. All of my careful work selecting only the most perfectly-shaped silverscales for breeding lost in an afternoon of ignorant indulgence. And worse: my own son is to blame. I ordered him quite clearly to accompany the cat-man at all times on our property. His disobedience will be properly addressed later.
For now, I can only lament the loss of my best stock. The most beautiful fish in all of Tamriel, every shining scale a little triangle of perfection, every fine translucent fin ideally shaped—all lost. I found the scoundrel, languid and stuffed, dozing amongst their skeletons.
The Spirit of the Dominion
Gentle citizen of the Dominion, perhaps you wonder why we must take up arms—why your sons and daughters are called to distant lands. The decision to gather our allies and march into the world is a heavy one, indeed, but we cannot waste this chance to bring all of Tamriel what she deserves: a stable, civilized, wise guiding hand.
Now, as the Empire rots under its own corruption, our opportunity arises. We, with our ancient wisdom and clear purpose, have the advantage. Together, Altmer, Bosmer, and Khajiit will fight back the evils rooted in the Empire, quiet the unruly hordes of the Ebonheart Pact and Daggerfall Covenant, and usher in a shining age of reason, culture, and peace.
Stand with us.
Falarcil,
In response to the ridiculous question you asked in your previous correspondence: yes, you are to continue work on the statue even in light of Princess Ayrenn’s return. The Prince is royalty, and he deserves a new statue to be added to the gardens regardless of whether he is to become king.
I have sent to you Prince Naemon’s favorite portrait to use as reference. The Prince had some additional notes for you, as well: please make sure that you represent the noble angles of his nose appropriately. The last mason did a pathetic job in this regard. Make sure to represent his noble bearing and the correct shoulder width, and please do not make his legs look like sticks!
We look forward to reviewing your work and expect nothing short of perfection.
Cintelmo,
Aide to Prince Naemon
Enchantment chamber walls must be precisely parallel
Must add Aetherial observation decks for all seasons
Perform resonance tests to ensure nearby mineral composition is neutral
Import stone from Alinor region for bulk of construction
Windows to feature cuts for color-scintilla in sitting room
As I feared, my talent is entirely wasted on the tedious work here. I have not pursued the fine art of Enchantment for all these decades to have my skills squandered by repeating the same simple processes on the same unremarkable arms and armor all day, every day. I could train a Nord to do this.
I am not callous to my peoples’ needs; of course the troops require adequate enchantments, but being conscripted into this when I could be doing so much more is ridiculous. I shall appeal to the Kinlord. Surely he will see the error of his ways if I present him with some of my more impressive creations. In fact, he’ll probably fund further experiments, especially when he sees the implications of my recent theories regarding kinemagical principles and their possible impact on ore refinement!
“It’s too, well, clean, I guess. It’s not like Valenwood at all. Wood Elves, we’re part of the forest and we work together with the trees; the Altmer demand obedience from them. If they can’t magically force them into shape, they’ll cut them. I’ve seen it, the obsessive clipping and pruning and even tying trunks down to encourage them to bend in strange ways. I heard they’ll have them uprooted, even after years of work, if just one flower blooms without exactly the right number of petals, or if one fruit doesn’t have the ‘proper’ number of seeds. It’s all about control for them. It’s horrible. I feel bad for their gardens.”
