Chapter 7
Needless to say, none of the six were happy about what they had just learned. The Dark Elves of Morrowind not only apparently practiced slavery but had also routinely enslaved their former allies of the Ebonheart Pact: the Argonians. It brought reminders of the cruel mistreatment of the slaves that Caesar's Legion of the Wasteland had done and the many tribes they betrayed and enslaved. Not to mention that, if memory serves them right, they were worshipers of the Daedra instead of the Aedra.
"I'm starting to see where the Dark in their name comes from, and not just because of the skin color," Gallus grumbled bitterly.
"Let's hope these guys have some redeeming qualities," Sandbar hoped as he hoped not to see another Legion 2.0 in the works as the video started to play.
The video started by showing what had to be the strangest houses they had ever seen in their lives, and that was saying something. The houses of the Dark Elves appeared to be mushroom-based, with some of them lodged in strange-looking trees with round doors and fungi architecture. A dark ash-colored cloudy sky stood above, blocking any sunlight, yet none of the Dark Elves in this home were bothered. This was the nature of the very land of Morrowind itself: dark, alien, and strange.
Morrowind was so unlike the other provinces of Tamriel that one could be forgiven for thinking they had landed in an entirely different world all on its own. While all the provinces differed, they still had similarities between flora and fauna. All but Morrowind, as evidenced by a large flying flea-looking creature near a river with giant mushrooms growing by the side.
"That's...a very big bug," Smolder pointed out with a slow blink of disbelief.
"Any relation?" Gallus joked to Ocellus, who gave him a death glare.
"Want me to turn into it and suck your blood to see?" Ocellus asked as Gallus put his hands up nervously in apology.
The land was also perilous as there were many ash-covered dust storms from the mighty and terrible volcanoes of Vardenfell. It was a wonder that anything could grow in these ash-covered lands, but life had managed to find a way to survive and thrive in such an environment. And that included the inhabitants: The Dark Elves, aka The Dunmer.
The group nearly lurched forward as a red-eyed glowing assassin with daggers, covered in what appeared to be some kind of bug shell armor, struck someone in the cover of the dark. The eerie glow of their eyes made them both look otherworldly and demonic in some traits. Another one was also shown, but with a narrower visor, as he guarded a local area with other Dark Elves, placing various goods in some underground establishment.
Naturally, the narrator explained that the name for "Dark Elves" came from their skin color. They were also the same height as humans, making them the middle height between their cousins, the Wood Elves (The shortest of the mer races) and the High Elves (The tallest of the three). Even compared to other mer, the Dunmer were long-lived beings who could live past even three hundred, which surprised the others. This means they were the most long-lived species out of all the mortal races.
"So elves have a different lifespan? Kinda like us?" Ocellus said as she wrote the notes down.
"You know, I wonder how different creatures and races have different spans of living in the first place," Silverstream pondered.
"Maybe it's biological or magical?" Ocellus theorized.
"Or both," Yona suggested.
A soldier stood on alert as a sentry for a Dark Elf fortress. The Dark Elves of Morrowind specialized in committing themselves to a balanced warfare mindset by using every form of combat, including sword, sorcery, and bow. Like most elves, they were brilliant and skilled mostly in the arcane arts. However, their greatest skills in magic were in the Destruction school, to the point that every Dark Elf knew at least two spells that could blow or melt your head off. Combined with a unique form of swordplay, they could become some of the best spellswords in Tamriel.
"What's a spellsword?" Smolder asked. "Someone who casts magic with a sword?"
"I think it's someone who can use magic while wielding a sword," Ocellus theorized.
When the video showed the world's other races, the narrator explained how the Dark Elves saw the rest of them. While the elves, in general, were an arrogant species, the Dark Elves could make even the most blow-hearted of High Elf Lords seem like humble monks. This was evidenced by showing a human trapped in shackles in a dungeon, which made the others growl at the sight. The Dark Elves, in their view of the world, saw all other creatures besides them and their Elven brethren as little more than beasts. As such, slavery was a common and cultural practice in Morrowind that had been around for generations.
"Why do I feel that Queen Chrysalis would love it here?" Sandbar asked.
"Because she would," Ocellus grumbled.
While anyone, including other Dark Elves, could be slaves, they were most fond of enslaving the Argonians and Khajiit, as evidenced by one being enslaved before them in tears. Because of their unique physical traits, they did well in the harsh environments of the land and were excellent workers for the more dangerous work needed for the Major Houses. The Dark Elves were not popular, and they honestly didn't care. In fact, they liked it in some ways.
"Wow, imagine liking being hated by practically all the other races of your world," Smolder snorted.
"Yona thinks the term for creatures like this is...troll, yes?" Yona asked.
Despite their reputation for being cruel, proud, and vain, they were determined to keep their independence free. Also, to the surprise of the others, there was great emphasis on the concept of loyalty and family. A family reunion could be seen among some Dark Elves who were enjoying their day and happily paying tribute to their dead ancestors. Ancestors that the Dark Elves worshiped and prayed to as they believed that they were still on Nirn, helping their relatives even in the afterlife.
Uniquely spiritually active, the Dunmer believed in all kinds of spirits, from warrior spirits to nurturing and loving spirits to even ones that curse and give cruelty. Shines to the dead were often found, with many presenting gifts or sacrifices to appease or honor their memory. And among these spirits, believed to be their ancestors, are the Daedra.
"Wait, I thought the elves saw the Aedra as their ancestors?" Silverstream asked in confusion.
"I guess the Dark Elves stand out by seeing the Daedra as theirs, but how?" Ocellus asked as the giant statue of Azura was shown once again with hundreds of Dark Elves paying tribute and prayers to her.
Ever since the start of their existence, the Dark Elves have never once worshiped the Aedra. Their faith was primarily focused on the Daedra and what was also known as the Tribunal Temple, something that was a new fact about them that the six had never heard about before. As such, Morrowind was the only place where the worshiping of Daedra was encouraged with welcome arms as opposed to fear and discrimination from all others.
"Okay, I can understand worshiping some of the Daedra, but do they allow all of them or just certain ones?" Silverstream shivered. "Because I can't see anyone worshiping Mehrunes Dagon or Molag Bal."
"There is a god for everyone, as they say," Ocellus pointed out.
Revelation and rebirth was the story of the Dark Elves and how they came to be on Morrowind. Before they became the Dark Elves, they were once no different from their cousins, the High Elves of the Summerset Isles. They worshiped the Aedra back then and were longtime friends with their High Elf cousins. That is until Boethiah, The Daedric Prince, caused events to end by enacting a change that would forever affect the future Dark Elves. Naturally, Boethiah's actions caused the Summerset Islands to go through a chaotic and bloody revolution that resulted in those who followed her being exiled.
"She's really got that anarchist thing going for her, huh?" Smolder asked while folding her arms.
The Chimer, the name the Dark Elves had before their exile, arrived in Morrowind soon after their exile. After a long and bloody journey, they arrived in Morrowind, but to their surprise, it was already occupied by a race of other elves known as the Dwemer. This surprised the others as they had never heard of such a race before, and Ocellus returned to her notes check. While their mentionings had been said briefly, there had yet to be concrete talk about who or what they were. Apparently, they were a group of elves that lived in an underground empire with advanced technology and science, as evidenced by the giant machine manufacturing station with golden-looking equipment and stone.
While the two races did coexist at first, their opposing cultures soon sparked conflict.
"...Is that always how it's going to end?" Sandbar asked with a sigh. "Are cultures just doomed to clash and cause conflict? I mean, even our respective cultures are different from each other. Some of them have caused or nearly caused wars. Is this just the fate of every group of people when interacting with each other?"
"Hey, we all come from different cultures, and we're not at war," Smolder said as she patted his back. "I mean, yeah. We've had war in the past, and we've had conflicts recently, but we're getting better. Maybe it won't last forever, but sometimes some are better than none."
"I guess," Sandbar muttered as the Battle of Red Mountain was soon shown on screen. While the conflict was around the screen, one focused on a Dark Elf casting a fire spell on a charging golden armored Dwemer with a large battle ax.
This said battle is considered by many to be one of the most important and bloodiest battles in the history of Tamriel. However, there are conflicting reports about the details of said battle, as much remains a mystery or hidden from the public. The only thing that was known is that the entire Dwemer race disappeared from existence when it happened. To this day, it remains one of the world's biggest mysteries as not even the Dark Elves had the power to make an entire race, especially one as big as the Dwemer, all disappear from the face of the planet due to one single battle.
"How does an entire race just vanish?" Ocellus asked, which made the others ponder as well. At first, it sounded like the entire race was genocided, but the way the narrator went about it and the confusion of the Dark Elves after the battle made it clear that something else had happened to cause it.
This battle changed the Chimer as well. Whatever caused the Dwemer to disappear had also caused a physical change. They now had red eyes and gray skin, and it was this day that they became known as the Dunmer.
The Dark Elves.
What had happened on Red Mountain and what caused both the disappearance of the Dwemer and the physical changes of the now Dark Elves was still unknown even thousands of years later. What was the force that caused such a change in the world that seemed to have warped reality? Aedra? Daedra? Did the famous Elder Scrolls know? In some ways, yes, and in other ways, no. What the narrator said next confused the six even more as it had to deal with the god Lorkhan.
"Lorkhan was the one who either convinced or tricked the other Aedra into making Nirn, right?" Silverstream asked, to which the others nodded. "Okay, just wanted to check."
It turned out that while Lorkhan had been the final piece to make Nirn (willing or unwilling), his heart survived. The heart of a god, even a dead one, was powerful enough that its cosmic abilities were immense. Such a heart had been found by three legendary and influential Chimer. One of them was floating in a meditation stance, and even though he was slightly different from his fellow Dark Elves, one could tell from his very aura that he was one of the most powerful beings in Nirn.
It was in the possession of this artifact that the three became what is known as the Tribunal. It was also the belief that they used the Heart of Lorkhan to end the entire race of Dwemer in one swoop, making them the saviors of the Dunmer as a whole race. Because of this action, the Dark Elves saw the Tribunal as their new gods, and with the power of a god's heart granting them such power among all mortals, it was not hard to see them as divine beings in general.
"So...they used a god's heart to win the war?" Smolder asked in confusion. "And then they became gods?"
"Something about that seems a little far-fetched," Gallus pointed out, as the story didn't add up and the narrator didn't seem entirely convinced in the idea as well.
Of course, only some were happy with this new form of worship. Azura herself, angry that the Dunmer had abandoned her worship, cursed them in their new forms and made them the Dark Elves today. A temple dedicated to the Tribunal was shown next, surrounded by mist. While the Dark Elves still obeyed the Great Houses as their primary leaders, the Tribunal were the overall masters of Morrowind, and the Dark Elves followed the teachings of the three religiously for a thousand years. It was their combined power that protected Morrowind from hostile foreign invasions. Even through Molag Bal's invasion in the 2nd Era, they were ready, but they did ally themselves with the Nords and Argonians to form the Ebonheart Pact.
"Not that it lasted long," Gallus grumbled since it was revealed they just went back to their old ways soon after the crisis was over.
"Backstabbers," Yona spat.
Then came the 3rd Era and Tiber Septim's rise to power to create his Empire. Surprisingly, the Tribunal had agreed to sign a peace treaty with him instead of going to war due to internal conflicts that left Morrowind unprepared to face The Dragonborn and his Legions. It was revealed that, while they would swear allegiance to the Empire, they were free to still practice their religious and cultural practices, including slavery. Tiber Septim, though no fan of the practice, agreed as he was a wise man. Freeing the slaves and causing an upheaval of the entire culture of Morrowind would take too long and be too costly, so he settled for the terms.
"I still wouldn't have signed it," Sandbar grumbled, who was upset that the Dark Elves were allowed to practice slavery even though it was outlawed everywhere else. It felt like they were getting special treatment.
"I wonder why he really agreed to it?" Smolder asked.
"Maybe we'll learn later?" Silverstream pointed out.
However, despite their agreed benefits, the Dark Elves didn't prosper as they wished in the 3rd Era. Near its end, the worship of the Tribunal was overthrown when the Heart of Lorkhan was destroyed which threatened the entire way of life for the Dark Elves. To make matters worse, The Oblivion Crisis caused the Dunmer to suffer wave after wave of Daedric invasions that made them lose much, but ultimately survived after Mehrunes Daegon's defeat. Having suffered two tragic events that cost them much, the Dark Elves try to rebuild, hoping their troubles are over.
But they were wrong.
The Argonians of Black Marsh had been the one race who took the least amount of damage during the Oblivion Crisis. Having foreseen the invasion, The Hist prepared the Argonians, and when the Oblivion Gates opened, the Argonians invaded Oblivion instead and forced the Daedic armies back. They were the only race to successfully turn back the entire invasion force of their province without suffering any serious harm.
"Awesome! Scale power for the win!" Smolder shouted with her hands in the air.
Upon seeing their ancient enemies licking their wounds, Black Marsh unleashed the full military might of vengeance upon the Dark Elves. The six couldn't help but cheer at this as karma finally came to the Dark Elves for their thousands of years of oppressive slavery against the Argoanians.
"That's what you get!" Silverstream cheered.
The Argonians were merciless. With no authentic leadership, a broken military, and suffering from more internal problems, Morrowind crumbled to the Argonians. Many were captured and forced into Argoanian rule. Slaves were freed while their former masters burned. Save for specific areas, most of Morrowind fell into Argonian hands, and with the Empire dealing with its own problems, it couldn't resolve the situation. Not that many sympathized with them, as many felt the Dunmer had earned this punishment. The once mighty and arrogant Dark Elves had been humbled and forced to pay for the actions of their past.
"I'd say sorry, but I'm not," Ocellus giggled.
Those who were not captured or surrendered fled all over Tamriel. The Dark Elves had lost so much and were now forced to survive in the lands of the people they looked down upon. A bitter irony.
Of course, technically, the Dunmer never were the original inhabitants of Morrowind. They won it in conquest from their cousins, the Dwemer. The most technologically sophisticated race to ever walk, Tamriel.
But that was a story for another day.