Falmer (Skyrim)

The Falmer are present in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. They are a lost race of Snow Elves, who have degenerated in temperament and sophistication after centuries of cavern dwelling. According to M'aiq the Liar all Falmer are blind, allowing you to sneak up rather easily on them.

Characteristics
Nords attribute almost any misfortune or disaster to the machinations of the Falmer, be it crop failure, missing sheep, or a traveler lost crossing a high pass. These mythical beings are popularly believed to be the descendants of the original Elven population, and are said to reside within the remote mountain vastnesses 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. In recent times they have made their presence known in gruesome fashion, and the descendants of 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.

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 "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 according to the "Pocket Guide to the Imperium, 1st edition:Skyrim." The peace was short-lived however and was shattered in an attack which nearly destroyed the rapidly expanding settlement of Saarthal This event is referred to as the "Night of Tears." The death of his kindsmen 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.

"Pocket Guide to the Imperiom, 1st 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 the 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 boogie-men, 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 Adverary", 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 or misidentified goblins. 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.

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, now commonly known as Dwarves, whose mastery of tonal architecture and fearsome weapons held the promise safety beyond the reach of man. These refugees were, according to "Falmer, A Study, deceived by their supposed protectors. Mistrustful of their Falmer guests, the Dwemer forced them to eat toxic fungi native to Black Reach 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 of 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.

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 descendants of the 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 the 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 Dwemer weapons or armor.

Loot
Falmer are known to carry Falmer Shields, Swords, Helmets, War Axes, Bows, and Arrows. In addition, Weak Lingering Poisons, Gold, and Falmer Ears can be found to be carried by Falmer. Full Falmer Armor does exist, however there is only one set, which is located within the depths of Mzinchaleft Ruins.

Weaknesses
Presumably due to their being Snow Elves, Falmer are especially susceptible to fire attacks. Sneaking is also especially effective against Falmer, as they are completely blind. If the player can move silently while sneaking, the player is rendered invisible to the Falmer.

Habitats
Falmer live strictly underground in caves and Dwarven Ruins. They inhabit the Nchunand-Zel excavation site, Mzulft (just outside the Boilery), Irkngthand (Dwemer ruin far southeast of Winterhold), Darkwater Pass, a sprawling cave south of Fort Amol, Shimmermist Cave (Northeast of Whiterun and North of Greywinter Watch), and Blackreach.