Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-101.174.54.47-20130226060747/@comment-26145872-20160129172830

It has been confirmed that the race of Mer are more than capable of living a thousand years in age without the aid of magic or technology. Phynaster, the hero-god of the Summerset Isles, taught the Altmer how to naturally live another hundred years, likely through the use the healthy habits, food, excersise, and more. According to lore, very few Altmer manage to surpass the age of a thousand years due to disease and violence that runs rampant across Tamriel, thought it has also been stated in lore that Altmer are far more resistant to disease, despite the fact that the game themselves do not reflect this. When considering factors such as disease and violence, the average lifespan of any Mer on the mainland of Tamriel would likely be anywhere from a couple of centuries to half a millenia.

As for the longest-living Mer in history, there are many, and not just Altmer have claimed this title. There are reports that numerous Mer on the Summerset Isles still recall Tiber Septim's conquest, putting them at an age of at least four centuries. According to Uupse Fyr, there may still be Altmer on Summerset who are over four thousand years old, likely using magic or healthy habits to prolong their life in one form or another. Nurelion, an Altmeri alchemist residing at The White Phial in Windhelm, Skyrim, was known to have died from old age. This suggests that Nurelion, had he avoided both disease and violence, may very well have surpassed a thousand years in age, likely more due to the possible use of magical potions to enhance his health, given that he was an expert alchemist.

There is mentioning of an Aldmer named Lachesis, who was the Rite Master of the Psijics in the early years of the First Era. Nearly three millenia later, in the final years of the First Era, the last mentioning of this Aldmer was when he met with Sotha Sil and Almalexia on Artaeum. This means that Lachesis was nearly three thousand years in age prior to his disappearance, reinforcing the fact that Aldmer may have had an even longer lifespan than Altmer, though I cannot be certain until more evidence is presented.

As I said before, it is not only Altmer who have claimed the title of old age. In particular, the Dunmer are a stand-out when it comes to their lifespan. According to Alfe Vyr, a Dunmer named Divayth Fyr is a wizard of over four thousand years in age. Uupse Fyr claims that he is likely the oldest and most powerful wizard alive, not counting Liches or divine sorcerers like Vivec. Divayth Fyr has likely extended his life for at least three thousand years using powerful magic, far surpassing the natural lifespan of any Mer on Tamriel.

Urag gro-Shub, the Orsimer mage and librarian at the College of Winterhold in Skyrim, states that if he didn't take his work seriously, most books in The Arcanaeum would've been burned to ashes or dissolved to nothing before the Third Era. This would put Urag gro-Shub at an age of at least six centuries. This proves that Orsimer are also capable of having a long lifespan due to their Elven blood, despite being cursed. The Dunmer are proof enough of this. Most Orsimer simply die before they come of old age because they do not want to be seen as weak or useless. Thus, an aging Orsimer will seek out a formidable foe to defeat him as to die honourably in battle like any Orsimer would.

The Dunmeri Councilor of Raven Rock, known as Llerin Morvayn, succeeded his mother as Councilor in the sixty-fifth year of the Fourth Era, and his rule continues to this day. If the Dunmeri aging process is indeed relatable to that of Men, his complexion suggests that he if of late-middle-age. His ascension was over a century prior to the time in which the Dragon Crisis, putting him at an age of roughly one-fifty to two centuries years old. Queen Mother Barenziah is approximately four centuries old during the Third Era. In comparion to humans, she looks to be late-middle-aged, meaning she is nearing her elder years.

The Dunmer, Orsimer, and Altmer, however, are not the only variations of Mer to acheive a long life. In particular, a Falmer, or Snow-Elf known as Knight-Paladin Gelebor is confirmed to be over four thousand years old. As for what caused his unnaturally long lifespan is still unknown to us, whether it be Auri-El's direct prolonging of his life, powerful magic, or the natural lifespan of his subspecies has yet to be fully revealed. Those Falmer who were blinded by the Dwemer continue to live into the Fourth Era, possibly suggesting that the lifespan of a Snow Elf is among, if not, the longest of all Mer. However, I cannot fully confirm this as it may be possible that the Falmer found in the Fourth Era may simply be offspring. Arch-Curate Vyrthur is another surviving Snow Elf who has lived as long as Gelebor, but his unnatural lifespan may simply be due to him being a Vampire, and those who are Vampires have been hinted at to be immortal.

As for the other variations of Mer, such as the Dwemer and Bosmer, we have not received solid evidence supporting whether or not they have a similar lifespan, so as of now, I believe it is safe to assume that they only posess an average lifespan ranging from a few centuries to a thousand years due to their Elven Blood. As for other races who posess Elven blood, the Bretons have been described to burn bright but quickly. This suggests that, due to their Elven blood, they posess incredible magical prowess similar to that of an Altmer, yet this raw magical power likely puts a severe strain on their human bodies. It has been strongly suggested that Bretons, or possibly those who are half-Elven, have the same short lifespan as a Nord, and possibly even shorter, with one such case describing a half-Elven man known as Cassynder, who died at the mere age of fifty-five. When he assumed the throne upon the death of his mother, he was already middle-aged. They described him in the statement that he aged like a Breton.