Dwemer

"A race of stonecutters, artisans, and engineers. They invented machines and built elaborate underground cities where they researched powers to rival the gods themselves. And then, at a time we are still not sure when, they disappeared. The whole people, all at once. Leaving behind only their works."

- Calcemo

Dwemer, meaning "Deep Elves" or "People of the Deep", are a lost race of Mer that lived primarily in the region of Vvardenfell, Skyrim, High Rock and  Hammerfell. They are well known for their craftsmanship, metalwork and technological prowess, as well as their huge advancements in architecture, science and technology, far beyond other races of Tamriel.

Biology
The Dwemer are often referred to as "Dwarves" in western cultures, although they were no shorter than a human and the name seems to have been derived from a supposed encounter with giants who saw the Dwemer as short. However, according to Herbane, the Dwarves were the size of large children all with beards. They were a reclusive, independent race, dedicated to the professions and principles of science, alchemy, arcane magic , technology, stonework , crafting and engineering. During the Battle of Red Mountain, when Kagrenac attempted to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan, the entire race did not die out; instead, the entire Dwemer race, save one, vanished into thin air simultaneously all around Nirn.

Yagrum Bagarn was the only known remaining living Dwemer on Nirn. He resided in the Corprusarium deep beneath the island of Vvardenfell, in the Morrowind province of Tamriel. He had been infected by corprus, granting him eternal life, but constant pain. He was searching for clues to the whereabouts of his race when the Nerevarine discovered him.

First Era


Records of Dwemer activity dated back to before the First Era, most notably in the Vvardenfell region. Vvardenfell in Dwemeris meant "City of the Strong Shield", which had the highest concentration of Dwemer ruins of any land in Tamriel. Feuding between Chimer and Dwemer continued until the First Council, when the Dwemer and Chimer unite to expel the Nords from Morrowind. One clan of Dwemer, the Rourken Clan, refused to make peace with the Chimer, and their patriarch threw his ceremonial warhammer, Volendrung, across Tamriel, proclaiming that his clan would settle where it landed. Over time, they settled in modern-day Hammerfell, explaining that region's name, home of the Redguards.

The Aetherium Wars
Sometime after 1E 221, the Dwemer discovered a new raw mineral while mining in FahlZhardum Din, or Blackreach. They named this new mineral, Aetherium. An alliance was formed between Blackreach, Arkngthamz, Raldbthar, Mzulft and Bthar-zel, now known as Deep Folk Crossing. The roles of this project were spread out between the cities; Arkngthamz would serve as the main command center and the primary research facility, while Raldbthar, which happened to be located right above Blackreach, was given the role of dealing with mining operations. Mzulft was used as a storage site, but it is unknown what role Bthar-zel/Deep Folk Crossing was assigned.

DwemerRuin.jpg in Skyrim.]]The Discovery of the Heart of Lorkhan and the Battle of Red Mountain
Tensions began to flare between the Chimer and Dwemer once again. The Dwemer had discovered the Heart of Lorkhan, and the Chief Tonal Architect Kagrenac was using three devices to tap into the Heart, and when the Chimer discovered this, they believed that the Dwemer were mocking and disgracing their cultural beliefs. A great war erupted between them, eventually leading to the mysterious disappearance of the Dwemer during the Battle of Red Mountain. Again, the difficulty was prompted by the discovery of a mythological artifact known as the Heart of Lorkhan by the Dwemer, deep in the mountains' bowels. The Chief Tonal Architect Kagrenac, their de facto religious leader, devised a set of tools, Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard, to manipulate the Heart to instill divinity to his people, but the spell backfired and caused all known Dwemer to vanish. Varying scholarly accounts state that their connection to the heart was severed, although this seems unlikely. Other accounts suggest that Kagrenac used his Tools to release the Dwemer from the Mortal Plane, in order to make all of his people immortal, but this was even more implausible.

After the Dissapearance
Since 1E 668, no word had been heard of the Dwemer, with the notable exception of Yagrum Bagarn, who resided in the Corprusarium of Tel Fyr. Apparently, he was absent from the Mortal Plane at the time of the disappearance, visiting an Outer Realm, an alternate dimension. His three thousand years of exploration and five hundred years of investigation have yielded no leads on the presence of his people on Mundus or any other plane of existence currently known.

There are many mysteries among the Dwemer creations left behind. Mages Guild investigators had discovered that if one of the centurion spiders was taken away from Vvardenfell, it gradually became more sluggish, eventually going into a state of torpor. Even more curious was that upon return, the spider re-activated back to normal aggressive levels, as if sensing the presence of the Dwemer ruins. Due to Hammerfell's origins, the Dwemer robots reactivate in the lands of the Redguard as well.

Dwemer artifacts were highly prized throughout the Empire, although since they were technically the property of the Emperor under the charter of the Imperial Society of Architecture and Design as well as the Imperial Historical Society, the sale of them was illegal. This did not seem to stop artifacts from falling off the backs of wagons or otherwise disappearing into various collections. Dwemer weapons and armor were especially valued, renowned for their excellent craftsmanship and sturdy design. Dwarven blades were constructed by a series of folded Dwemer metal sheets which made these weapons very strong and the armor was polished so blades would simply slip on it, though this affect may have been worn away over the centuries. However, acquisition of these artifacts was extremely dangerous, because of the remote location of the ruins, and the multitude of aged and unreliable Dwemer machinery within, including the Steam Centurion and other automata, as well as sophisticated traps of which the Dwemer were particularly fond.

Economy
Very little is known about the economy of the Dwemer, but it is known what form of currency they used, which was the Dwemer Coin.

Military
Not much is known about the Dwemer's military, but it is known what kinds of weapons, devices and other military technology they used. With the Dwarves' mastery over metalwork, robotics and smithing, their ground armies utilized their automatons to a great extent. Spiders, Spheres, Ballistas and Centurions wrecked havoc when unleashed against enemies on the battlefield, completely decimating enemy forces.

The Dwemer needed military industries to produce weapons, armor and tools for their infantry forces, as well as the need for war machines and Automatons. The Dwemer military command ordered the construction of the city of Nchardak to be the location of a large military production center. After it was finished and production started, the armories and forges were able to produce a complete automaton in a single day.

Religion
It is unknown what religion the Dwemer had, or if they worshipped any Gods or not, but it is known that they scorned the Daedra, the Nine Divines and essentially all of the Gods, and attempted to defy them with their values of reason and logic. The Dwemer believed that they were more powerful than the Gods and could acquire powers that could equal or even rival them. In their underground denizens, the Dwemer studied powerful, magical relics and researched powers that they believed "could rival the Gods themselves."

Language and Writing System
Both the Dwemer's language and writing system is referred to as Dwemeris; the language is a dark one, utilizing many z's and d's in its form. The writing system is composed of and written as the Dwemer's own form of runes and glyphs, somewhat similar to the Daedric Alphabet, the writing system of the Daedra. The runes for the Dwemer alphabet is incomplete, with the runes for the letters B, C, H, J,K,P,Q,T,X and Z being as of now unknown.

Some forms of Dwemeris have been seen in the form of prefixes and suffixes of notable Dwemer names of various historical terms, such as "Volen-," meaning "hammer," and "-Fell," meaning "city," giving Volenfell; "City of the Hammer." The warhammer Volendrung has had it's name translated into the Hammer of Might by Dwemer scholars and translators. The nation of Hammerfell can attribute its name to the aforementioned warhammer, as Dwemer and Hammerfell lore-history holds that the Chieftan of the Rourken Clan decided to move his people to a new location, so he threw that very warhammer from Morrowind and would move to wherever it ended up, which was at the site of the city of Volenfell in Hammerfell, hence the two locations' names. The name FalZhardum Din, based off of observations of Dwemeris texts and inscriptions on tablets and walls in an unknown Dwemer city, has been revealed to be the Dwemer name for Blackreach.

The two books known as Divine Metaphysics and The Egg of Time were written in Dwemeris, but were so far unable to be translated by Dwemer scholars. Three other books, also written in Dwemeris, Hanging Gardens, Nchunak's Fire and Faith and Chronicles of Nchuleft, were all able to be translated by Dwemer scholars.

Society
The Dwemer were a reclusive Elven Clan who lived in Morrowind during the First Era. The Dwemer, in general, were powerful and preferred the use of technology over magic, though some of their technologies were imbued with sources of powerful magic, and at times they would have to use magic to create their many devices and tools.

The Dwemer who inhabited Stros M'kai were heavily reliant on steam power. They lived in great half-subterranean buildings and created mechanical creatures known as Animunculi as well as other devices. According to many First Era scholars, the Dwemer were feared by the Dunmer, Nords, Redguards and perhaps even by the Gods. Some Dunmer scholars might say, in this respect, that the Dwemer were blasphemous. They challenged the power and superiority of the Et'Ada, the Aedra and Daedra, questioned their authority, and traveled from Mundus into the Outer Realms of Aetherius and Oblivion. Many scholars agreed that those factors may have led to their demise.

Probably the defining aspect of the Dwemer was their use of the Heart of Lorkhan. According to legend, after Lorkhan tricked or convinced the Aedra to create the mortal realm, they tore out his divine heart and threw it down to Nirn, to be hidden forever. The Dwemer found this heart, researched its intricacies, and used its divine power to create incredibly powerful technologies. They created the blade and tuning fork Keening and the hammer Sunder, along with the Wraithguard, to tap the power of the Heart, so they could use the power to create powerful technology imbued with powerful magic so great it could rival the power of the Gods themselves.

One of the things they built was a monstrous golem, similar to a un-electric robot, called Numidium, or the Brass God, which was designed to help them transcend the Grey maybe, Nirn, the Mortal Realm by drawing power directly from the Heart. In other words, this golem was more than just a destructive force. It was an actual new God that the Dwemer had created from the substance of Lorkhan, the "Dead" God. After the Dwemer disappeared, Numidium made a reappearance in a weaker form when Tiber Septim used its power to conquer all of Tamriel and forge the Third Era.

Secondly, the last living Dwarf, Yagrum Bagarn, said that when the Dwemer disappeared he was in the "Outer Realms", and thus did not disappear with them. The Outer Realms referred to that which was outside of Nirn, whether it was Aetherius, Oblivion, or some other "location" in the Aurbis is unknown. At any rate, this shows us that at least some Dwemer had the ability to remove their bodies from the mortal Plane and travel beyond normal bounds, something like having an out of body experience and, perhaps, taking your body with you. This idea was backed up by Baladas Demnevanni, who said that the Dwemer had practiced "generations of ritualistic 'anti-creations'", which possibly contributed to their disappearance. It was unknown whether The Calling and those anti-creations were a natural or learned trait or whether they stemmed from some technology or from some use of the Heart.

One form of entertainment in Dwemer society was the Kagrumez Trials. When the Dwemer still existed, any warfighter could participate in the event, where he/she and many others would have to fight, each for their own, to the death against a variety of Automatons and survive against environmental and elemental effects.

Architecture
The Dwemer lived in cities that were commonly referred to as strongholds, as well as Freehold colonies , as well as city-states. Dwemer cities were vast and expansive, containing living spaces, areas for scientific, engineering and arcane study , and sections squared off for the production of Automatons. These areas were interconnected with great halls and long passageways running throughout the Dwemer's underground cities. Some sections of Dwemer cities were sectioned and named for a specific role., The Arcanex was a section of a city used for arcane study, and observational studies have shown that the Arcanex in Bthardamz contains a suprising collection of soul-gems, alchemical concoctions and magical text. This evidence supports a possible theory that Dwemer scientists and engineers may have also invested some of their time in magical study. The Animonculory section of a city was the section used for the role of industrial production, and the purpose of producing Automatons. An Animunculory was notably found in the city of Alftand. Although Nchardak did not contain an Animunculory, one of the city's main roles was to act as a major military production center, capable of producing a single Animunculi/Automaton in a single day.

As opposed to the weapons, armor, tools and technology developed by the Dwemer, their architecture was mainly composed of stone. On the other hand, the Dwemer's methods of stonework and architectural construction was just as unique and grand as their metalwork.

Dwemer architecture is unique in that the Dwemer favored stone over other materials, such as wood or clay. Their mastery of stonework is a shining example of their civilization, and a notable one at that. As opposed to metal, which was found in their Animunculi, "Dwarven artisans favored stone, at least as far as their buildings were concerned." However, as the Dwemer began to advance and achieve mastery over metalwork and more complex tools, metal was added to their architectural designs for buildings. Nevertheless, "the foundation of all known dwarven ruins is built on stonework, and the structure of dwarven stonework  is sharp, angular and intensely mathematical in nature."

Crafts
Metalwork was the primary method used to make almost all dwarven crafts, as nearly all Dwemer crafts were made of metal. However, the more easily destructible materials such as clay, paper, and glass cannot be discounted from the scope of Dwarven craftsmanship.

Given the tendency of Dwarven design to favor the long-lasting over the fragile, it can safely be assumed that at the very least metal was a heavy preference, and the metal used in all so-far-discovered Dwarven relics is entirely unique to their culture. In a scholarly view, the Dwemer essentially built to last, and the remaining examples of crafts, tools and devices display that notable aspect.

No other race has ever replicated whatever process was used to create dwarven metal. Although these materials can be easily mistaken for bronze, it is most definitely a distinct type of metal of its own. The methods of mining and extracting the natural materials found in the deep reaches of their cities and the methods of producing the Dwemer metal has been lost to time as all attempts to imitate dwarven metal's exclusive properties have failed. The Dwemer had an incredible knowledge of mining, extracting and smelting the ore they found, as well as incorporating the smelted metal into their weapons, armor, tools, devices and other crafts. However, no type of ore has been verified or even discovered that the Dwemer may have used to smelt into metal ingots that they used in their crafts. The only method that has been successful is to melt down existing dwarven metallic scraps and start over from there.

Technology
"Dwarven military machines also range from the human sized 'Sphere' warrior, which patrols the interiors of the ruins as a harmless ball only to emerge from it as a fully armed and armored automaton fighter, to the justly feared 'Centurion' whose height ranges from twice to several hundred times human size depending on which reports you believe."

- Calcelmo, Dwarves, v2

Dwarves created and manufactured on a very broad scale thousands of mechanical apparatuses of varying complexity. These constructs are referred to as Animunculi, or automatons. Several can be found within ancient Dwemer ruins, the most simple of which was of the standard arachnid design used to ward off trespassers. The design of the automatons themselves resemble a fusion of fantasy and steampunk designs, featuring gleaming brass cogs and gears. Most automatons contain a Soul Gem which is believed to be what brought these machines to life, but also somehow acts as a boiler due to the extreme energy held within it. In some automatons, such as the Dwarven Spider Guardian, the soul gems acts as a source of destruction magic, being able to attack intruders with lightning.

The pinnacle of their genius was the creation of a device called a Lexicon that allowed them to read an Elder Scroll without going mad or blind, as well as being able to store vast amounts of knowledge within the device. Septimus Signus comments that such combinations of machinery and magic were trademarks of the Dwemer.



The Oculory was a massive construct located in Mzulft and inside the Tower of Mzark in Blackreach. The Oculory in Mzulft was designed and built to collect starlight, then transmute it and split it. If and when calibrated correctly with a focusing crystal, it can then be used to project this energy into a map of Tamriel, and can then harness the energies to reveal locations of great sources of magical power. The Oculory located in the Tower of Mzark, however, was desgined and built to store artifacts of great importance, notably the Elder Scroll (Dragon). According to Paratus Decimius, the Orrery at the Arcane University was the inspiration for the Oculory.

The Orrery were elaborate, massive constructs designed for astronomical observation and study. Since the Dwemer had a significant mastery over metalwork, construction of massive machines and interest in the sciences, notably astronomy, the Orrery were trademark developments of the Dwemer in their crafting, metalwork and scientific studies. One notable Orrery was located in Stros M'kai, constructed by the Rourken Clan sometime during 1E 420.



One piece of technology the Dwemer created was a Control Cube. A Control Cube was designed and used to control specific constructs and maintain them, such as a power system, steam pump system and/or an aqueduct system. The Dwemer of Nchardak notably used many of these Control Cubes to maintain their city, control the various power system that kept the city stable and control the power system which supplied power to the Reading Room, as they would no doubt want to keep their massive, expansive library safe from outsiders.

Science
Besides mastering in the arts of blacksmithing, mining, metalwork, stonework, engineering, as well as mastering over the use of robotics, computer and drone technology, the Dwemer also mastered over the use of mathematics and science in itself and as an asset to their other professions. Science was an important aspect of Dwemer academic society, especially the science of Astronomy. The Dwemer studied the constellations, stars and planets up in the night sky in order to better understand the outside world. The Dwemer constructed huge stationary machines known as Orrery which was a scaled model of a solar system that depicts planetary motion. Orrerys' aided Dwemer astronomers in their scientific studies of the night sky.



Dwemer Ruins and Blackreach
Before the Battle of Red Mountain and the disappearance of the Dwemer, their cities were magnificent places to behold. Built under the surface and into the mountains, massive caverns stretched through under the mountains composed of great halls, large chambers, housing sections, crafting workshops and huge buildings of great stature. Dwemer cities also contained various structures designed for scientific research and study, such as an Oculorys  and Orrerys. Dwemer cities in Skyrim were also commonly referred to as city-states. Some notable Dwemer cities were specifically constructed for certain purposes. For example, the Dwemer city of Nchardak in Solstheim was built for two reasons/purposes: first to collect and organize a collection of knowledge in the form of books and scrolls, as well as to house a huge, advanced library to hold all of the collected information; and secondly, to serve as a massive military industrial complex, building the Dwemer military's weapons, war machines and Automatons.

Another example of Dwemer cities being used for a specific purpose was when four Dwemer city-states of Skyrim initiated a project to study Aetherium. These four city-states were Arkgthamz, Mzulft, Raldbthar and Bthar-zel. Each city-state had their own role in the project, but all worked together to get the ore mined, refined and combined with industrial production materials to create Aetherium artifacts. Arkngthamz was assigned the purpose of controlling the project, and being the main command center and primary research center, while Mzulft was given the role of being the storage site. Raldbthar was assigned the task of mining and handling the Aetherium ore/mineral directly, as the city was located directly above Blackreach, the primary source of Aetherium. It is unknown what role Bthar-zel was assigned.

After Kagrenac used his tools on the Heart of Lorkhan which caused his people to dissapear, Dwemer ruins started to become dangerous to explore because of the remaining automatons, such as sphere guardians, hidden traps, and in the case of Arkngthamz, a geological event such as an earthquake. There is also the presence of the Falmer who took up residence in many of the cities. However, all the ruins contain treasure, such as gold, weapons, armor, jewelery, tools, other items, as well as common and unique Dwemer artifacts, and even some magical relics. The presence of wealth and treasure inside these Dwemer ruins incites the creation of both organized exploration parties and lone explorers. There is also the matter of Blackreach, a region that connects Alftand, Raldbthar and Mzinchaleft together.

Notable Dwemer

 * Bthuand Mzahnch - One of the Tonal Architects and author of "The Egg of Time." In it, Bthuand argued against the idea that tapping the power of Lorkhan's Heart was too dangerous. Some believed that using the Heart would have side effects, but the Tonal Architects argued that no unforeseen consequences could result from their work.
 * Dumac - King of the Dwemer and friend of Indoril Nerevar. Dumac and Nerevar united their races to drive the Nords from Morrowind, then Dunmereth. They then renamed the land Resdayn and formed the First Council as a ruling body over the two races. The two developed mutual respect and trust between the two of them, as well as a great friendship. They created peace throughout the land, and good relations developed between the Chimer and Dwemer, and the two civilizations prospered together. Eventually, however, they warred on each other when Nerevar demanded that the Dwemer cease construction of the Numidium, which Dumac may or may not have known about. Also called Dumac Dwarfking or Dumac Dwarf-Orc by his enemies, as well as Dumalacath.
 * Kagrenac - The Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer. Kagrenac was the primary Mer who worked on the Heart of Lorkhan. He created the original brass god, Numidium, as well as Keening, Sunder, and the Wraithguard. He was present at the Battle of Red Mountain, and, according to some stories, went to use the tools on the Heart at the last second before his race evaporated.
 * Radac Stungnthumz - A Dwemer ghost that helped the Nerevarine reforge the Trueflame, the sword of Nerevar. Radac was originally a soldier that somehow knew about applying Pyroil tar on a blade in order to make it burning and deadly.
 * Yagrum Bagarn - The last living Dwemer and one of Kagrenac's Tonal Architects. Bagarn was in the Outer Realms when the rest of his race disappeared, so he was unaffected by the event. He wandered Morrowind for many years searching for other Dwemer, to no avail. Eventually he caught Corprus and descended into madness for many years. He was later housed in the Corprusarium at Tel Fyr and was mostly conscious, though he did not have full control of his body or mind.

Unique artifacts found by the Dwemer
Finding, studying and examining relics and artifacts of great power was "somewhat of a specialty of the Dwarves" as noted by Telvanni wizard Neloth, as the Dwemer themselves were a power-hungry civilization searching for sources of immense power.

The Dwemer searched for relics and artifacts of great power because their people were an intellectual race, heavily interested in the art of research, study and examination of powerful objects. Some artifacts the Dwemer simply wanted to acquire, such as the Daedric artifact Epistolary Acumen, belonging to Hermaeus Mora.


 * Elder Scroll (Dragon)
 * Eyes of the Falmer
 * Heart of Lorkhan
 * Epistolary Acumen

Unique artifacts created by the Dwemer

 * Kagrenac's Tools: Keening, Sunder, Wraithguard
 * Aetherium Artifacts: Aetherial Crown, Aetherial Staff, Aetherial Shield
 * Spellbreaker
 * Volendrung
 * Dwarven Black Bow of Fate
 * Visage of Mzund

Trivia

 * The Dwemer draw inspiration from the mainstream interpretation of "Dwarves" in fantasy media. They are, in fact, the Dwarves of the Elder Scrolls series.
 * Their outfits and appearance seem to draw inspiration from the Babylonians and ancient Greeks, especially their beards and clothes.
 * The Dwarven language, especially in lore, is analogous to traditional Gaelic.

Scholarly Works

 * Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition
 * Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition
 * The Battle of Red Mountain, and the Rise and Fall of the Tribunal
 * Nerevar at Red Mountain
 * Kagrenac's Tools
 * Progress of Truth
 * The Real Nerevar
 * The War of the First Council
 * The Five Songs of King Wulfharth
 * Sermon Zero of the Thirty-Six-and-Nine Sermons
 * The Aetherium Wars
 * Antecedents of Dwemer Law
 * Secrets of Dwemer Animunculi
 * Herbane's Bestiary: Automatons
 * Ruins of Kemel-Ze
 * Ancient Tales of the Dwemer (Not a real account of "ancient tales" of the Dwemer and has nothing to do with the real Dwemer; the stories of this book series is actually based off of the Dwemer and is a fictional series)
 * Dwarves, v1
 * Dwarves, v2
 * Dwarves, v3
 * Dwemer Inquiries Vol I
 * Dwemer Inquiries Vol II
 * Dwemer Inquiries Vol III
 * Dwemer History and Culture (A book that is not actually about the Dwemer, though it annotates, criticizes and cites the criticism of the non-scholarly, fictional book series about the Dwemer, "Ancient Tales of the Dwemer" by the Dwemer scholar community)

Journals

 * Katria's Journal
 * Ulyn's Journal
 * Eydis's Journal
 * Erj's Notes
 * Krag's Journal
 * Staubin's Diary
 * Stromm's Diary
 * Research Notes
 * Expedition Manifest
 * Sulla's Journal
 * Umana's Journal
 * Endrast's Journal
 * Journal of Drokt



Ancient texts written in Dwemeris

 * The Egg of Time
 * Divine Metaphysics

Other texts translated from Dwemeris

 * Hanging Gardens
 * Chronicles of Nchuleft
 * Nchunak's Fire and Faith

Appearances

 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn

двемеры Dwemer Dwemer Dwemer Dwemer