Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-62.255.98.169-20130504143516/@comment-218.186.253.91-20131024073804

According to real world evolution theory (might be wrong, its just an opinion...)

The falmer were blinded and regressed because they consumed toxic mushrooms, right? These mushrooms might be metabolic poisons or DNA damaging agents, causing regression of brain power, loss of sight etc in the first case and negative mutations for the second one. My guess is that it is both, KPG probably used magic to extend his life, like all magic users would do. Therefore, assuming long elf lives (300-500) years, it suggests that the falmers would have bred and had children in a few cycles, so the negative traits like blindness could be inherited, making DNA poison very likely. This will cause devolution of the falmer due to crippling mutations. As blackreach is perpetually dark, they would not need sight that urgently, so their vestigial eyes are taking their time to evolve again.

As for evolution back to their original selves, no. They have not stopped beconing snow elves just because of a few mutations. They will reevolve their intelligence (suggested not just by KPG, but their armor. Falmer armor is ugly,rough and weak, but hardened and heavy falmer armor looks nice, is very strong and protects the full body. This means they are getting back intelligence to create better armor, at least.)

So, here is what I believe evolution would result in, if they took time to resurface. Firstly, they will get back their sight, as they slowly venture back into the dimly lighted dwemer ruins. Sight is always an evolutionary advantage when there is light and the vestigial cells will redevelop into a pair of eyes with good night vision. Their brains will also return to intelligence slowly, over time, like all sentient, self aware animals. They would probably be more buff than an average elf, as a lifetime of combat with dwemer animaculi would favor the strong, intelligent (yes) ones. When vestigial sight returns (it probably will be selected for as seeing is useful in all scenarios, as long as there is light), better sight will also be selected for, as those who can see and dodge ranged attacks will be more likely to survive and reproduce. In hostile conditions like blackreach, fast reproduction is favored, to replace the dead, so their evolution will accelerate over time.

With all this considered, the falmer will see again, have the better senses they evolved over time, as they are still useful, be good at sneak, melee attacks and destruction, in sense a good spellsword. They would probably get their hair back when they surface, to retain heat (20%-50% heat is lost through the head and the brain runs hot). If there was falmer as a playable race, I would give the following passives, power and stats:

+5 one handed

+10 heavy armor (they use only heavy armor)

+5 alchemy

+5 destruction

+5 sneak

+5 archery

50% resist frost and poison

racial power would be a lesser power like detect life+night eye

Not very good as a pure warrior, mage or thief, but a mix. The end product will probably look like KPG, except slightly more twisted, evil and (possibly) muscular. For all you know, they could just end up like white Altmer! Falmer are skinny now probably because of the DNA damage they sustained, which will write itself out in due time as deleterious mutations will eventually die out. They will reproduce as fast as men (maybe a falmer female could have one child every year or less), but live as long as elves.

But there is a catch: This will take possibly no less a million years or so, about 250-270 eras, so don't get your hope up of evolved, master race falmer who are attractive, intelligent, good at fighting and with a culture appearing until elder scrolls 100 or so, unless they make Elder scrolls VI or VII set in the far future, where there are guns, bullet proof armor, airplanes, genetic engineering etc