In fact, the massive yet well-hidden Chantry of Auri-El , a great magical and architectural achievement even by today's standards, hadn't even been constructed by the Snow Elves until the early First Era. The Snow Elves had long maintained an uneasy alliance with the only other known group of mer who inhabited Skyrim: the Dwemer. The Nords established their supremacy in Skyrim, and after the devastating loss of the Snow Prince, [2] [12] most Snow Elves turned to their underground brethren for help.
Over time, the servants became slaves. Some Snow Elves managed to avoid becoming slaves to the Dwemer, instead retreating to hidden shrines or hiding with sympathetic families. However, these sentiments were not shared by the Falmer, as they attacked their untainted cousins with the same ferocity that they displayed towards the other surface races.
Over the ages, the Snow Elves fell into legend. To this day, Serenarth's host form waits, encased in ice within a glacier close to where his frozen corpse still lies, destined to thaw out and seek vengeance on Ysgramor's heirs. One of the first real pieces of evidence establishing that the Snow Elves had existed was the discovery of the Snow Prince's remains in Jolgeirr Barrow on the island of Solstheim in 3E Legends say that one of the reasons Snow Elves met their fall was due to the god of luck, Sai , who brought luck to Skyrim for the Nords, neglecting the Snow Elves.
By 4E , what was once superstition had become, more or less, common knowledge: the increased activity of the underground Falmer made it increasingly difficult to dismiss them as myths. It is thought that their activity is related to a planned invasion of the surface world. However, when the thieves removed the Eyes of the Falmer which are giant gems of enormous value , it caused the cavern to collapse, burying this priceless treasure.
Little is known of the Snow Elf society, other than that it parallels that of the Altmer. They kept in contact with other elven kingdoms. They developed a complex and nearly indecipherable language. Only a few people in Tamriel can even recognize their alphabet , let alone read it, making it an ideal cipher for anyone with the proper knowledge seeking to encode their writings.
Many of the most dedicated Snow Elves once committed themselves to a tireless journey through the massive Chantry of Auri-El, carrying with them the paramount desire to become one with their god, Auri-El. The retreat was designed for those who wished to become enlightened.
Between all the Skyrim-based books , quests, and other troves of knowledge waiting to be discovered around the world, it's possible to put together a lot of Tamriel's history - even the things that aren't "public" knowledge. One of Skyrim 's mysteries is the fate of the ancient snow elves, otherwise known as Falmer; it's a race of Mer that has almost entirely been eradicated from Tamriel. The snow elves once inhabited all of Skyrim, but then rapidly declined due to multiple factors.
What really happened to them? Where are they now? And what might their future be? Let's take a look at the ultimate fate of the snow elves.
Once upon a time, back during the Merethic era of Tamriel history, snow elf society nearly rivaled that of the Altmer from the Summerset Isles. It was advanced, prosperous, and wealthy. They were the very first race of Mer to inhabit Skyrim, and they were present long before the arrival of humans from Atmora.
Their troubles as a nation and race began after the humans began to settle Skyrim. Initially, elves and humans were able to peacefully coexist on the continent, but it didn't last. Snow elves considered themselves to be the superior race, and in an attack later called the "Night of Tears," they destroyed the Nord city of Saarthal; everyone in the city perished except for Ysgramor and his two sons.
In retaliation, Ysgramor gathered his Five Hundred Companions, intent on driving the snow elves from Skyrim for good. And that's where the snow elves' permanent run of bad luck began: the conflict grew into a war of extermination with both sides attempting to totally annihilate the other.
Side note: it's possible the Eye of Magnus that all-powerful orb in Skyrim 's College of Winterhold quest line had something to do with the hostility between Nords and snow elves. Because of this, it is commonly believed that the Snow Elves were actually tricked into blindness and slavery, rather than having agreed to the situation to survive. The full-fledged and bloody conflict was known as the War of the Crag. The war raged deep below the surface of Skyrim, unbeknownst to the surface dwellers, the Nords.
Then, in 1E , the Snow Elves came to face the Dwemer in battle, but the Dwemer people had completely disappeared. At that time, the Dwemer were also fighting another war against the Chimer , east of Skyrim, in Morrowind — the War of the First Council. This war, in Morrowind, was fought over religion, philosophy, and issues over ethics, technology, and magic.
However the central contentious point was the fact that the Dwemer were in possession of the powerful Heart of Lorkhan. It is reported that, as the battle was being fought, Kagrenac , the Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer, used his tools to tap into the Heart, which caused the Dwemer race to disappear. However, years of enslavement and war had left them bloodthirsty and in a primal state.
Some pockets of Snow Elf resistance remained, although, it appears that most were eventually eliminated. Despite this, Gelebor believes there may be other isolated Snow Elf survivors scattered across Tamriel. By the 2E , the Snow Elves were a near-forgotten legend, and the ruin-dwelling Falmer remained hidden from the eyes of those on the surface. Not all Snow Elves suffered the fate of the Falmer: it appears that elves, such as Knight-Paladin Gelebor and various other religious followers, were able to evade death at the Nords' hands or their enslavement by the Dwarves.
These last Snow Elves live in seclusion, and appear to have remained as keepers or guardians to their shrines. Gelebor shows pity toward his "primal brethren," whom he calls "the Betrayed. The largest gathering of these elves were at the Chantry of Auri-El. However, after a massive raid by the Betrayed, Knight-Paladin Gelebor and his brother, Arch-Curate Vyrthur , seem to be the only survivors left there.
It is unknown how many other Sanctuaries exist in Skyrim, where these Snow Elves may be found, but it should be noted that several tomes states that many fled Skyrim, and may probably be living in other parts of Tamriel or on different continents. During the Merethic Era , the elves established monuments and shrines dedicated to their gods.
Some of these gods are common Aldmeri gods, such as Mara. However, their chief-deity was Auri-El , also known as Akatosh. Following the regression of their race into the malevolent Falmer, many of the elven priests, known as Prelates , were killed during Falmer raids.
Subsequently, according to Gelebor, Auri-El evoked their spirits, allowing them to continue their work in Tamriel as "spectral Prelates" at the wayshrines. One of the rituals of the Snow Elves required the initiates to visit each of these wayshrines on their paths to enlightenment.
It appears that these 'spectral Prelates' are unaware of the disrepair of the chantry and will not respond to anyone, unless that person is on the path of the initiate, and possesses the Initiate's Ewer. According to Knight Paladin Gelebor, they worshiped the following gods: [7].
The Irkngthand Snow Elf Statue. Their appearance is very similar to that of the High Elves , with the exception of their skin and their hair, which is white. As the Chantry did not enter disrepair until after the fall of the Snow Elves, it is unknown how long Snow Elves live. As Gelebor stated, the Chantry was in disrepair long before he arrived. Thus his age cannot be fully determined. Similarly to their cousins, the High Elves, they have a rather extensive lifespan.
Attesting to this, the report that Arch-Curate Vyrthur brought about the prophecy of the Tyranny of the Sun , that, much later became the obsession of Harkon. There is also the fact that Gelebor and Vyrthur were alive before the rise of the Alessian Empire , as Serana mentioned not knowing about the Empire , she was, thus, imprisoned before Cyrodiil became the seat of an empire.
From what is known, Gelebor and Vyrthur are at least over 4, years old. Due to the fact that the Snow Elves worshiped the god Phynaster and are very similar to the Altmer, in comparison to the other races, [7] it is, also possible that Gelebor had his life extended directly from Auri-El.
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