The Elder Scrolls Online has steadily retained its players over the years, while also consistently increasing the player base with expansions that thrive on the already prosperous lore of the game and the mainline Elder Scrolls titles. ZeniMax Online Studios' title is a goldmine for all those fans of the series who are into the stories told, and its setting is very appealing, as the events of The Elder Scrolls Online take place a thousand years before those of Skrim. The fact that players are able to explore the continent of Tamriel such a long time before mainline games opened up a lot of possibilities for ZeniMax and Bethesda in terms of storytelling.

The allure of The Elder Scrolls Online resides in the fact that it is the first TES game to ever allow players to explore almost the whole continent of Tamriel, whereas the primary titles tend to focus on a specific region instead. This allowed ZeniMax to be extremely creative about narratives, like when the first new chapter of the game was released in the form of Morrowind, where players were able to meet Vivec long before the fall of the Tribunal at the hands of Azura and the Nerevarine in TES: Morrowind.

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More recently, fans discovered that Rich Lambert had pitched a very interesting idea to Bethesda about the Dwemer. Yet, Todd Howard himself reportedly turned down the suggestion.

The Elder Scrolls: The Dwemer And Their Origin

Skyrim Dwemer Character Modded

Morrowind is not simply one of the most unique regions of Tamriel in terms of creatures that live there and how it has different biomes than the rest of the continent, but it is also a place very rich in lore, secrets, and mysteries. Once home to the Dwemer and the Chimer, Morrowind and the island of Vvardenfell are home to the infamous Red Mountain, an active volcano that during the Merethic Era of the history of Tamriel became one of the main settlements of the Dwemer. These Mer, also known as "Dwarves" or "Deep Ones" were an extremely advanced race in every main field of life at the time, including crafting and the use of metals and stone, city-building, use of technology, revolutionary science, and knowledge of all magic.

The Dwemer were not dissimilar to other Mer races in height, and yet they were called "Dwarves," which is likely due to the fact that mythological creatures of their tales were colossal, thus seeing these Elves as incredibly small in comparison. They were paler than other Elves, probably because they lived in the tunnels and caves deep beneath the Red Mountain, and they wore robes and heavy armor as their preferred clothing. The Dwemer were discovered by the Chimer, ancestors of the Elves now known as the Altmer.

The Elder Scrolls: The Battle Of Red Mountain, The Heart Of Lorkhan, And The Dwemer's Vanishing

dwemer scrap fan post

At some point during the First Era, the Dwemer found deep beneath the volcano of Vvardenfell an Aedric artifact, called the "Heart of Lorkhan," on which the Deep Ones decided to experiment in order to extract divine power from it to empower their race. This happened slightly prior to the Chimer arriving in the region with their army, back when the two races were in a sort of forced peace. Meanwhile, Kragenac, a High Priest and Architect of the Dwemer, created three tools to use on the Heart of Lorkhan to pursue acts of science in the name of his race.

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The Chimer eventually started a dispute with the Dwemer, who didn't share their religious beliefs and elevated logic, science, architecture, and other activities above magic and deities, unlike most of the other Mer races. While the war between these races was likely due to differences in culture and ideals, the Chimer were also trying to get their hands on the lands held by the Dwemer, and this fight escalated in the Battle of Red Mountain. A much more imminent issue at the time, however, was that one of the Chimer houses discovered that the Dwemer had found the Heart of Lorkhan, and on top of that, the Daedric goddess Azura told her worshippers that their rivals were trying to use the Heart to build a Mer-made god beneath the Red Mountain.

When the Battle sparked, the Chimer used it as a subterfuge to infiltrate the Heart Chambers where Kragenac was trying to work on the artifact. At this point, though, it is unclear what really happened next. Apparently, either the Tribunal used Kragenac's tool on the Heart or he did so himself, and this caused all the Dwemer to disappear, leaving no trace nor clue about what could have happened to them. This was the last time the Deep Ones were seen in Tamriel, marking the end of their collective history.

The Mystery Of The Dwemer In The Elder Scrolls Games

Skyrim Dwemer Manor Exotic Regular

Despite their vanishing, the Dwemer are still influencing the events of Tamriel long after the Battle of Red Mountain, and they make for one of the greatest mysteries in The Elder Scrolls saga. Their technological creatures and Dwemer artifacts or settlements are still found scattered throughout Tamriel, especially so in the world of The Elder Scrolls Online, but not limited to it, where players fight against constructs like the Dwarven Spiders, Centurions, and Spheres.

The fact that The Elder Scrolls Online tried to explore the origins of the Dwemer means that there's a lot more to know here, and despite this idea didn't cut it, it doesn't mean that future expansions or mainline games won't do exactly this. The Dwemer may have traveled in time, they may have been teleported to another realm, or they could have been trapped somewhere. Whatever their fate, though, the enigma of it all remains a very compelling story arc within the monumental narrative of The Elder Scrolls games, and it should be built upon, revealing more of this enticing race.

The Elder Scrolls Online is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.

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