Tamriel - Dawn's Beauty in the language of the Altmer
or Taazokaan in the Dragon's Tounge, is the continent upon of which all the Elder Scrolls games take place
Home to many diverse races, and even more conflicts, Tamriel has been host to many adventures
You've experienced Tamriel in your own way but want to learn more about it's story
Well, to get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning...
Subtitles added by "Razor Soul"
They were the first. The first to sit upon The Ruby Throne. The first to call The White Gold Tower "home"
They were the first to raise a mighty empire but, after rebellion, would soon retire
Much like their lost Dwemer cousins, the Ayleids were a magnificent, sophisticated race
who cradled civilization only to have it ripped away from them leaving Tamriel to pick up the pieces
Many half-forgotten, it was the Ayleids who laid the groundwork
for the great empires raised throughout Tamriel's history
Though not as technologically advanced as the the Dwemer, culturally the Ayleids were well ahead of their time
The Ayleids with their many diverse kingdoms, were the first to dream of unity
while the young, savage races of Men were still huddled around their campfires
Ayleid ingenuity had erected vast cities, towering monuments and their society was the envy of the nine provinces
In ancient times, Ayleids dominated Tamriel's central-most province of Cyrodiil
and so they were given the name Heartland High Elves
"High Elves" because like all elves on Tamriel, the Ayleids came out of the High Elves of The Summerset Isles
Thanks to their high-born ancestry, the Ayleids boast big intellects and agile frames like the rest of their race
As for their appearence, like all elves, they are thin and lean with pointed ears and angular faces
"From fire, life; from light, magic."
To say the Ayleids were gifted in the arcane arts is a bit of an understatement
This conclusion can be drawn from their many ancient cities that still dots Cyrodiil's landscape today
Their ruins contain a vast variety of stones filled with magicka essences
Upon further studies, scholars have been able to gather
that the Ayleids found a way to harvest magical energy from the stars themselves
a process that has not been replicated since
Using these magical stones, Ayleid mages could replenish their magical energy
making them last longer in confrontations
[...] of harvesting magical energy, a visitor to Cyrodiil will often stumble across
great, white basins called "Ayleid Wells"
These wells are unlike anything found in the nine provinces and possibly beyond
They are known to passively harvest magical energy from starlight
Those with the skill can draw magicka from Ayleid wells to restore their own reservoirs of magical energy
A mage that has exhausted his or her energy needs only seek out these wells
You can see how beneficial this could be both in everyday activity
as well as in the defense of Ayleid settlements
Another magical feed of strength that tributed to the Ayleids
was the creation and maintaing of "Varla Stones"
Varla Stones are remarkably powerful devices the enabled the Ayleids
to restore magical energy to enchanted items
An enchanted sword, for instance, can wield enchantments of fire, ice and lightning
and Varla Stones keep these enchants at maximum power
by continuously feeding them with magicka required to maintain the enchants
Because of these stones' great value and utility, it is assumed Ayleid soldiers would carry these stones onto the battlefield
Since Varla stones are relatively small, you could see how an Ayleid infantryman could carry them on their person
A sword that slashes and pierces is good; a sword that melts armor is better
As you've probably gathered by now, as a race, the Ayleids were not afraid to tap into the more supernatural mysteries of Tamriel in order to gain an edge
Magic was a revered part of their society and it bled through into their religion
In accordance with High Elf tradition, the Ayleids believed the Earth was composed of four basic elements
Earth, water, air and light
The Ayleids, in particular, believed that the most spiritual form an element could take
was starlight, as the stars were the link between Mundus and Aetherius
Mundus, being our mortal plane of existence, and Aetherius being the immortal plane of the Aedra
When Magnus left Mundus to pass into the Aedric realm of Aetherius
he is said to have torn a veil between the two realms
giving us the sun and stars enabling mortals to draw magic from the heavens
The Ayleids the Aedra's role in giving them their magical abilities
so as a people, these Heartland High Elves worshipped the Aedra
On this note, you might find it interesting that Tamriel has all but forgotten
the original purpose of the iconic White Gold Tower
The tower wasn't originally built for kings and emperors
the tower was built by the Ayleids as a monument to the Aedra
In ancient times, The White Gold Tower was called "The Temple of the Ancestors"
referring to the ancestors of the elves, the immortal Aedra
For most of the other races on Tamriel worship stops at the Aedra...or the Daedra
but for the Ayleids, power meant these lines had to be crossed
Instead of limiting themselves by worshiping one side over the other, the Ayleids chose to praise the Aedra
while conspiring with the Daedra
So great became the influence of Daedra on Ayleid culture
that the Heartland Elves commanded massive armies of Daedric minions
Wielding both the power of the Daedra through powerful armies
and the power of the Aedra through magical prowess
the Ayleids brought an entire province under their control by enslaving the race of men residing in it
a sin they would one day pay greatly for...
"The foaming wave, so thunderous, so mighty, heralds the lordly Elves."
the story of the Ayleids is one of migration, domination and ultimately self-destruction
Like all Tamrielic Elves the story of the Ayleids starts on the mysterious continent of Aldmeris
From Aldmeris, the ancient Altmer migrated to the Summerset Isles
Why the Ayleids eventually broke off from their elven brethren is unknown to us
but we can assume this division occurred for the same reason that the Dark Elves found themselves in Morrowind
because worship of the Daedra is not tolerated in Summerset
Regardless of how they came to be there, the Ayleids would find themselves in Cyrodiil in a time before the First Era
How the Ayleids came to rule all of Cyrodiil can be attributed to their incessant need for power
It was this ambition that drove these elves to do truly magnificent
and sometimes truly terrible things...
The Ayleids of this ancient era saw breakthroughs and rose structures that baffles scholars in the modern era
Given all their skills and feats, they Ayleid still craved more
They went on to employ entire armies of Daedra to conquer, subjugate and enforce their rule on Cyrodiil
At first the men of Cyrodiil had managed to resist the Ayleids
but they could not withstand their Dadric ally
Through their pact with the Daedra dominated and enslaved the men of Cyrodiil
They rose their great temple and ever since, The White Gold Tower has stood as a symbol of dominance in Cyrodiil
He who holds the tower, holds the reins of the province...
The first empire Tamriel had ever seen was claimed in the name of the Ayleids
Slaves were utilized by the Ayleid Empire for a variety of purposes but their main purpose was the building and maintenance of their empire's infrastructure
The men of Cyrodiil had the elves to answer to and the elves had to answer to the Daedra
Daedric masters demand many things in exchange for power, chief among them, sacrifices
According to legend some Ayleid turned cruelty into an art form
Various Ayleid settlements became famous for their elaborate methods of torturing their slaves
One such method involved the setting ablaze of human children
The Heartland High Elves ruled Cyrodiil for many generations and although their power was absolute, they did no know contentment
For reasons now lost to us, the Ayeids took to fighting amongst themselves in a civil war that would one day spell their race's downfall
You see, civil war left the Ayleids weak and word had reached the slaves in Cyrodiil
about the events taking place in Skyrim
At this time, Skyrim had emerged from a war of it's own
The race of men who call themselves "Nords" had overthrown the Snow Elves who once ruled the province of Skyrim
The stories from the north inspired the slaves now serving under an elven empire at war with itself
The Nords of Skyrim, now free from their elven [...], lent aid to their enslaved relatives under the Ayleid empire
and in only a year, the Slave-Queen Alessia stood outside of The White Gold Tower with an army at her back
After millennia of rule, the Ayleid empire fell, giving way to the Alessian Empire
securing the shift of power from elves to men on Tamriel henceforth
The story of how the Daedra-loving Ayleids fell to their human slaves is one that has been retold time and again
It has served as a kind of rallying cry for the Nords, Imperials and other races of men on Tamriel
A story of how the oppressed can overthrow his oppressor, even if that oppressor is a high-born elf
The story that isn't often told is the one of how some Ayleids actually assisted Man in their quest for freedom
Not every Ayleid was the pompous, power-hungry elf the stories would have you believe
As a matter of fact, there were whole Ayleid settlements that had no part in the Ayleid Empire
When the human slaves of the Ayleid Empire rebelled, many Ayleid lords pledged their swords in support of the Slave-Queen
and they died on the battlefield fighting side by side with Man
By the end of the slave rebellion, the Ayleid were far from the extinct race they are today
As a matter of fact, the Ayleid Lords that assisted in the rebellion
were integrated into the newly formed Alessian Empire as vasalls and royal advisers to the queen
and her new human nobility
This arrangement only made sense, I mean, who if not the Ayleids knew the logistics of maintaining an empire?
History has failed us because it has mostly forgotten
the first human empire was one comprised of both man and elves
Despite this truce, bad feelings and resentment would ultimately decide the fate of the Ayleid race
Alessia's eventual passing marked the rising a religious group called "The Alessian Order"
and they had very, very strong opinions about their old Ayleid masters
It [...] the expulsion of the entire elven race
The Ayleid lordships were abolished. In feeling no welcome to stay in Cyrodiil, the Ayleids left the province upon their own free will
Now driven from the land the had resided in for generations, the Ayleids were a people without a home
Once the very beacon of civilization on Tamriel, the other mortal races now called the Ayleids "Wild Elves"
because they are without sanctuary
Although their race has not been seen for centuries, it is possible that the Ayleids are still out there
Although we have no pure Ayleids left in civil society, their bloodlines carry on
After the Wild Elves left Cyrodiil, some of them found solace in the province of High Rock
There they are only assumed to have intermingled with the humans who call High Rock home
The Bretons are, after all, part elf and particularly gifted in the ways of magic
But that is a story for another day...