Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-68.231.83.252-20171025135448/@comment-2A02:C7F:A034:CE00:EDC3:5384:20F7:4F6-20171108184955

It's possible that the Saxhleel were the original inhabitants of Skyrim, as they were the original inhabitants of Tamriel as a whole, but due to its cold nature, were likely absent from the northern regions. There's very little information to go on, but I think of it essentially as the Dwemer being the underground rulers, and the Falmer being the above ground rulers. The Ayleids were more prone to warmer climates so I doubt they cared much for Skyrim.