Falmer (Skyrim)

The Falmer are fallen Mer present in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. They are the lost race of Snow Elves, who have degenerated in temperament and sophistication after centuries of cavern dwelling. Years of living underground and the treachirous act of feeding them poisonous plants by Dwemer have rendered them blind. However, their other senses have become more acute, making them formidable enemies despite their lack of sight.

Characteristics
Falmer are a race of Mer who have devolved into a primitive race inhabiting the dark underground and remote areas of Skyrim. Centuries of life underground have caused the Falmer to adapt to their harsh environment. While physically similar to other Mer, the Falmer have changed noticeably. Their skin is a pale grayish tone and they move with a hunched posture. The most notable feature is their blindness, which does not hinder them in any noticeable way. The existence of the Falmer was once thought to be a myth, in recent times however, they have made their presence known in gruesome fashion, and the Falmer are myth no-more. Whether anything of Falmer culture and civilization survives with them remains unknown; so far there is no tangible evidence it does.

"Nords attribute almost any misfortune or disaster to the machinations of the Falmer, or Snow Elves, be it crop failure, missing sheep, or a traveler lost crossing a high pass. These mythical beings are popularly believed to be the original Elven population, and are said to reside in the remote mountain fastnesses that cover most of Skyrim. Until recently however, there had been little or no tangible evidence that this Elven race survived outside the imaginations of superstitious villagers."


 * Source: Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition/Skyrim

History
The history of the Falmer is mysterious, but can be found in a book in the Dwemer Museum in Markarth in a locked case titled The Falmer: A Study, The Falmer are believed to be the first race of elves in Skyrim and were present long before the first Nord colonies. Their initial coexistence was largely peaceful. The peace was short-lived however and was shattered in an attack which destroyed the rapidly expanding settlement of Saarthal known as the "Night of Tears." The death of his kinsmen prompted Ysgramor to summon his 500 companions - the namesake and forbearers of the Companions in Whiterun - and vow to drive the Falmer from Skyrim forever.

The Downfall
Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Skyrim and Fall of the Snow Prince suggest the conflict may have been related to rapidly increasing Nord population and been a struggle for control over territory and resources which took the form of a war of extermination - with both sides apparently pursuing the utter destruction of the other. The book Night of Tears suggests the conflict may have been more specifically related to or escalated by the Falmer's desire to control a powerful artifact uncovered by the Nord settlers and the Nords of Saarthal's desire to keep such power buried beneath the rocks and soil of their city. The Thalmor representative Ancano as well as the Psijic Order member Quaranir take actions and make statements giving credence to the theory that this object, dubbed the Eye of Magnus, may have played an important role in the conflict.

Whatever the true cause of this conflict may have been, Ysgramor and his 500 companions were ultimately successful in pursuing their aggressive campaign of revenge. Eventually the Falmer had been driven back to the island of Solstheim where one final battle was to be recorded. Known as the Battle of the Moeresing, the fighting culminated in the death of one of the most fearsome Snow-Elf warriors, "The Snow Prince," at the hands of a grief stricken 12-year old Nord girl. This broke the spirit of the last recorded Falmer surface forces and the remaining Snow Elves fled or were promptly cut down; this marked their last significant recorded presence on the surface.

Though they persist on the surface as characters in legends and folklore to play the roles of antagonists and bogeymen, they had largely believed to have been killed off by the ancient Nords. They are briefly mentioned in the book Aevar Stone-Singer in which they are presented as enemies of the protagonist and lesser servants of "The Adversary", a possible Skaal representation of Sithis. Historians, such as the writers of the pocket guide, had long insisted that the Falmer had been extinct and any supposed sightings were merely tall tales inspired by common folklore. This presumption of extinction and dismissal of sightings was later found to be improper and incorrect - the Falmer did not die off with The Battle of the Moeresing.

Dwemer Enslavement
Scattered and without a recorded leader, the Falmer fled underground where they were offered protection by another now-lost race of mer. There they met the Dwemer, commonly known as Dwarves, whose mastery of tonal architecture and fearsome weapons held the promise of safety beyond the reach of man. These refugees were, according to The Falmer: A Study, deceived by their supposed protectors. Mistrustful of their Falmer guests, the Dwemer forced them to eat toxic fungi native to Blackreach which would render them blind and powerless. Through treachery, the last of the Falmer were made servants and slaves to those who posed as their saviors.

The Dwemer kept this plant as a primary part of their diet, ensuring not only the blindness of their current Falmer slaves but also the blindness of all their future descendants. The cruel and destructive methods used to oppress the Falmer did not prove sufficient to keep them in bonded servitude forever. Generations after their ancestor's enslavement at the hands of their rescuers, the Falmer rose up against the Dwemer and fled to darker places deeper underground. From there they waged a bloody campaign against their former oppressors in what was called the "War of the Crag." According to the book The Falmer: A Study this war ended abruptly when the forces of the Falmer went to meet their former captors in battle - only to find the Dwemer had vanished.

Present Day
Though the Dwemer have long since vanished into dust and legend, their mechanical centurions and devious traps are not the only deadly legacy they left behind. In the twisted present day Falmer of legend, the Dwemer's legendary cruelty and will to dominate lives on. Many a miner, adventurer, archeologist, and smuggler has met death or slavery at the hands of these tragic products of Dwarven hubris. Scenes of torn and tortured prisoners - some captured in Dwemer ruins which the Falmer inhabit and some kidnapped and brought from the surface - serve as testament to the hatred and blood-lust which drives them to this day. The author of "The Falmer: A Study" states that these incidents have been dramatically increasing in frequency, sophistication, boldness, and scale in recent years. The scale and nature of the threat they pose is unclear, but the gruesome scenes which characterize their presence leave no doubt as to their hostility or intent.

Journals recovered from their victims (explorers, bandits and lowly tradesfolk alike) reveal that their blindness persists and can render a quiet adventurer nearly invisible. They display keen hearing however and often employ ambush tactics - having been described as dropping from the ceiling behind their victims as they pass beneath them. In addition to the fungus which sustained and blinded their ancestors, they have also been found to raise and kennel venomous centipedes from whom they fashion effective though primitive armor. Though they show little signs of cultural sophistication and obviously lack the ability to read the printed word, there are many accounts of Falmer displaying an aptitude for frost and lightning magics. The journals of those they have slain have also made note that they have retained the resistance to cold and vulnerability to fire possessed by their ancestors even though they have been robbed of nearly all the rest of their ancient heritage.

Technology
Their technology is devised in relation to the usage of the Chaurus, an animal the Falmer have domesticated for its Chitin, poison and rending limbs. Weapons, armor, shelters, fences and chests are all constructed from the Chitin of domesticated Chaurus. Though they are most numerous in Dwemer ruins, they do not appear to use scavenged Dwarven weapons or armor.

Loot
Falmer are known to carry weapons and armor crafted by themselves. Falmer craft a full range of Falmer Weapons such as Swords, War Axes, Bows, and Arrows. Full Falmer Armor does exist, however there is only one set, which is located within the depths of Mzinchaleft Ruins. In addition, Falmer carry Poison, Gold, and Falmer Ears.

Weaknesses
Presumably due to their Snow Elf ancestry, the Falmer are especially vulnerable to fire attacks. Sneaking is also especially effective against Falmer, as they are completely blind and light will not be factor although carrying a torch too close to them will catch their attention. If the player can move silently while sneaking, the player is rendered invisible to the Falmer. This means that the spell Muffle will be of more use than Invisibility against the Falmer. The Falmer may be powerful with their weapons but can be disamarmed using the disarm shout and easily dealt with.

Habitats
Falmer live strictly underground in caves and Dwarven Ruins. Although they do make forays to the surface.


 * Blackreach
 * Chillwind Depths (located directly south from Dragon's Bridge)
 * Darkwater Pass a sprawling cave south of Fort Amol
 * Gloomreach
 * Irkngthand (Dwemer ruin far southwest of Winterhold)
 * Mzulft (just outside the Boilery)
 * Nchuand-Zel excavation site in Understone Keep
 * Shimmermist Cave (Northeast of Whiterun)
 * Behind Stony Creek Cave in the tunnels beneath Kagrenzel
 * Mzinchaleft
 * Liar's Retreat (Just northeast of the Reach Stormcloak camp)
 * Duskglow Crevice
 * Stillborn Cave

Behind the scenes

 * Falmer blood is required to complete the quest Discerning the Transmundane - the easiest place to obtain the blood is at Liar's Retreat.
 * There is a statue in Irkngthand of a Falmer before their retreat from the Dwemer.
 * Despite being Mer, Falmer apparently have "white" souls, and can be trapped using normal soul gems.
 * The Falmer have a lot in common with the Goblin race from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Both dwell in the underground caverns of the world, both are elves. Both have evil beasts at their side per example: The Frostbite Spiders and the Chaurus, and they look very much alike.
 * Most Falmer are found in Dwarven Ruins, though some can be found above ground.
 * Falmer are likely a reference to the Norse Wendol, a cave dwelling race that would often raid villages and eat their slain foes. The best known reference to the Wendol comes from the manuscript of Ahmad ibn Fadlan, a 10th century Arab, who, after being exiled, travels with a band of Vikings to their homeland during the 10th century. The vikings were returning home after news reached them that a dragon had been burning villages. It is believed by some historians that these Wendol were bands of surviving neanderthals, or fictitious beings created by Fadlan to spice up his tale. (Edit- The entire thing would be a referance to a Michael Crichton novel "Eaters of the dead". In of itself a Beowulf referance.)
 * If you are on the road from Whiterun to Solitude, a broken chariot can be found with a dead horse and a dead Redguard, in/near the Redguard is a Falmer Arrow, hinting that Falmer are on the surface.