A Treatise on the Elves of Valenwood

Introduction

From the central province of Cyrodiil, one may cast a stone in any direction and have it land on something worthy of study (assuming one’s arm is strong enough), but for too long the Empire’s scholars and learned men have been entirely too illiberal in their casting of inquisitive stones. Climb the highest peaks of Skingrad or Kvatch and look south. Look over the rugged hills and sloping pastures of old Colovia, over the shimmering Strid and into the vast expanse of green. From here you see the south-western province of Valenwood, tumbling southwards under a covering of lush vegetation. It is from here I cast my stone.

“The Wild Remain”: Valenwood

When the Imperial Geographical Society published the first Pocket Guide to the Empire in 2E 864, Valenwood was an almost begrudged footnote in “The Aldmeri Dominion”, the land and its people serving as little more than comic relief after the grim accusations made against the Altmer. Certainly such works were a product of their time – suspicion of the elves was a fact of life in the early days of Tiber Septim’s rule, and while the rampant racism and misinformation that characterised the first publication had been shed by the publication of the third Guide in 3E 432, Valenwood was described under the title above.

This somewhat dismissive description, heavy with the implication that Valenwood is more wilderness than a province, something to “remain” once the rest of the map is filled, is demonstrative of the attitudes that have left Valenwood so neglected as an area of study. However, it is perhaps a fair comment on one level. After all, respect for and protection of nature is the central tenet of the Bosmeri religion, and so they have no desire to change the beautiful face of Valenwood.

The vast majority of the Bosmeri province is untamed and unspoiled. For the most part Valenwood is a sea of rolling hills, thickly covered with trees that put the mightiest of the Great Forest to shame, but there is a great degree of variety, with dense jungles, airy woods, dark mangroves and swamps, and wide isolated plains. Throughout the province, a network of rivers and natural canals provide the main means of transporting goods and travels. Rather extensive roads and infrastructure were introduced to the forest by the first Aldmeri Dominion, but the Bosmer have neither the desire nor the ability to maintain these roads, and so they are overgrown and broken down where they are visible at all.

Valenwood’s settlements are testament to the Bosmeri love for the unique and beautiful; no two are alike to the sympathetic eye. While it is perhaps most logical to construct them on the sunny banks of Valenwood’s many waterways, the intrepid adventurer may be surprised at where self-sufficient Bosmer settlements may be found, such is their love for the deep, hidden places of the forest. For the most are small and unobtrusive – clanhouses or villages built from imported timber, loose stone, hide yurts, or sometimes magically-cultivated treehouses, sustained by the clan’s hunters and fishermer and by what trade comes through their corner of the forest. There are Bosmer towns and cities, however, and they are some of the most spectacular on the continent.

Most famous is Falinesti, the ancient royal capital of Valenwood. This is a city unlike any other, nestled in the higher branches of one of the mightiest trees in Tamriel, largest of Valenwood’s migratory graht-oaks reaching more than a mile into the sky. The settlement itself is, in the grand scheme of the tree’s existence, unobtrusive. A complex network of walkways and platforms connect the broad, twisting branches of the tree, dwellings constructed from living wood and moss, tanned hide and great animal bones. The most popular method of accessing the soaring boughs of Falinesti is by small platforms known as “lifts”, attached to strong vines and manned with pulleys by local Bosmer, Imga or Orcs (of which there is a surprisingly large population in Valenwood, particularly Falinesti – the Bosmer are a traditionally welcoming people).

Once long ago, the Falinesti tree was an even more fantastical sight as it, like the lesser graht-oaks, would migrate across Valenwood, spending the winters in the north of the province, and moving south for the summer. The great tree rooted itself in the winter of 3E 429, much to the shock of the Bosmer, and the rooting was the high point of a time of great upheaval in the province. Many hoped that the phenomenon would be temporary, that the tree would resume its migration in the next season, then the next year and so on, until it eventually became apparent that Falinesti was to remain stationary for the foreseeable future.

The famous peculiarity of Falinesti should not be allowed to detract from the beauty and value of Valenwood’s other great cities, however. There is Elden Root, one of the most ancient elven cities on mainland Tamriel, a monumental construction of once-white stone which the years have blended almost seamlessly into the surrounding vegetation. It rests in the centre of the sacred “clearing” (relative to the density of the surrounding trees) known as the Elden Grove, and has served as Valenwood’s capital under both Aldmeri Dominions. There is perhaps good reason for this: the ancient city is far more logical and efficient in its construction than any more “modern” Bosmeri city, exhibiting the strong, considered design of Aldmeri cities. It is also the major destination for migrants to the province, hosting large communities of Altmer and (traditionally) men.

On the edge of the Elden Grove lies the city of Silvenar, the flower of Valenwood. Once a vibrant glade, the city is the result of a gradual phenomenon of self-petrification by the trees. It is uncertain exactly how this came about, whether naturally or magically, but the flowering trees began to produce copious brilliant sap that over time hardened and crystallised into dazzling amber of a hundred colours. On a logistical level, Silvenar is the polar opposite of neighbouring Elden Root; its streets are a maze of petrified branches, petals and waves of sap that look almost as if they are still flowing. Its buildings are irregular bubbles and canopies of glistening sap, many of them rendered exceptionally beautiful by the shapes of the ancient trees. This city, while it has never been the province’s capital, is arguably the true centre of power in Valenwood, for it is here that the Silvenar resides. The Silvenar is too complex a subject to be appended to this section, and will be discussed later in this work, but let it to suffice to say, his (or their) presence in the city makes it an important destination for many travellers of all kinds, and this, along with the city’s long tradition of fine crafts and smithing, ensure that Silvenar is one of the wealthiest cities in the province.

Valenwood’s fourth great city is the port of Haven, an ancient port in the south-east that exploded into prominence under the Cyrodiilic Empire in 1E 2714. While architecturally less unique than Falinesti or Silvenar, constructed predominantly from the plentiful timber imports or hewn from the cliff-face, Haven is nonetheless a sight to behold. The busiest port in the province, it is naturally filled with activity – merchants, travellers, pirates, fishermen and all manner of seafarer. If it were not for the trees, and the bizarre and uncommon Bosmeri shipyards, Haven could almost be in Hammerfell or Colovia.

Elves of Valenwood: The Bosmer

The Bosmer, Boiche, or Wood Elves are the people of Valenwood, in all senses. For the most part, they live in simple obscurity, existing in harmony with the forest and without great regard for the politics, wars and intrigues so beloved by most of Tamriel’s inhabitants.

The Bosmer are naturally well-equipped to thrive in Valenwood. The average male Bosmer standing a little shorter than a man at about five and a quarter feet, and this diminutive stature is invaluable in navigating their densely-wooded homeland. In a similar vein, the Bosmer are faster and more agile than any man or mer, and possess an uncanny dexterity and nimbleness, making them excellent craftsmer, woodsmer and most famously, archers.

In their appearance, Bosmer are perhaps less striking to the human eye than the Altmer or Dunmer, lacking as they do the gold or ashen skin of their cousins, and having significantly less pronounced elven features – their faces wider, their cheekbones rounder, their brows lower. Common tradition (as well-supported by evidence as we may expect for such matters) has it that the early Bosmer were known for mingling with their Nedic neighbours, or “taking mannish wives” as the Altmer creation myth has it, and it is reasonable to assume that it is as a result of this intermixing that the Bosmer are so (comparatively) human in their appearance.

In one respect, however, the face of a Bosmer is even more striking than that of an Altmer or Dunmer. While there exists, as with any race, a great variety of eye colours and shades, among the Bosmer the most common is pure black, with no visible whites or iris. This phenomenon occurs rarely in the Altmer, and more rarely still in the Dunmer, but in the Bosmer it is common and iconic, though the reason for this is unknown, with theories ranging from Y’ffre’s gift to archers, to a by-product of their mixed ancestry to the last vestige of the mythical time before Bosmer believe Y’ffre taught them their shape. The truth of the matter will perhaps never be known; certainly no Bosmer with whom I have conversed has been able to give a definitive answer, preferring the old Bosmeri adage, “one mer’s miracle is another mer’s accident”.

Y’ffre’s Favoured People: The Bosmeri Religion

Over the course of their time in Valenwood, the Bosmer have developed a faith surprisingly distinct from that of their Aldmeri forebears. Auri-El retains his position as the God of time and ultimate head of the pantheon, with Lorkhan as his chief opponent, the Trickster. Mara, Xarxes and Stendarr also remain in their respective roles as gods of (broadly speaking) love, knowledge and mercy respectively. However, the Bosmer have shed several important gods and ancestor deities still revered by the Altmer; Magnus, Trinimac, Syrabane and Phynaster have all vanished completely from worship. In their place, the Bosmer have adopted several deities from the surrounding cultures, perhaps unsurprising given the far more open society of the Bosmer.

From Tamriel’s men the Bosmer have received Arkay, the “mortals’ god”. For the Bosmer he is a god of seasons more than anything else, a significant role for the nature-loving Bosmer. Herma-Mora has come to the Bosmer in his Nordic role as an obstacle and danger, and Z’en, an aspect of Zenithar, is believed to have been brought to Valenwood by Kothringi sailors. Z’en was a god of agriculture for the Kothringi, but the Bosmer have little use for such a god, and so he has become a broader and more powerful god of toil and payment in kind. The God of Toil faded somewhat into obscurity after the Knahaten Flu, possibly due to the extinction of the Kothringi with whom his worshippers were often connected.

Perhaps most surprisingly, the Bosmer have adopted several deities from their traditional enemies (and mythological cousins), the Khajiit. The Moon Gods, Jone and Jode, are central parts of the Khajiiti faith, largely due to the Lunar Lattice that governs their shape. How they came to appear in the Bosmeri pantheon is a mystery to modern scholars; some argue that the Bosmer pragmatically adopted the gods of their foes after one too many defeats, others believe the Bosmeri love of the natural world organically extended to include the moons, which of course exert a considerable influence on Mundus. In a similar vein, the Bandit God, Baan Dar, who appears as a marginal trickster spirit in many religions, has surfaced as a significant deity among the Bosmer. To the Khajiit, Baan Dar represents the innovation and desperate genius of their oppressed people, with most stories having him save his followers at the last minute from the predations of men or (more commonly) elves. It is interesting, then, that the Bosmer, so often the villains in the Khajiiti Baan Dar’s tales, should revere him in a similar way, although of course in Bosmeri tales he is most often on the side of the beset Boiche.

This exchange of deities, however, pales to insignificance when compared to the key hallmark of the Bosmeri faith, that is the role of Y’ffre, the Forest God. In the Aldmeri faith, and most of its descendants, Y’ffre is a relatively minor god of the forest, song and the water, who taught birds to sing at the dawn of time. In the Imperial tradition, Y’ffre is not worshipped, but thought of as one of the first Earthbones, gods who put their entire beings into laying down the natural laws of Mundus. For the Bosmer, his importance is far greater.

The first mortals, says the Bosmeri creation myth, did not know their proper shapes; they changed from man to elf to beast to plant and back again, never able to settle in their true forms. Y’ffre pitied the mortals and showed them their true shapes, making man always man, elf always elf, beast always beast, and plant always plant. Now that they had their proper shapes, mortals could begin to understand the world.

For the Bosmer, he went further still; they were his favoured people. The Bosmer call Y’ffre “The Storyteller”, for the secrets he taught them in the early days of Mundus, secrets ranging from the beautiful songs of the forest, to the fearsome Wild Hunt. But this sharing of secrets was not given without payment in kind. Y’ffre loved the forest he had helped to create (and it loved him; legends say the very trees moved closer to hear his songs), and new that he, like all the gods, could not remain to protect it indefinitely. To this end he tasked the Bosmer, his favourite people and best students, with protecting the natural order of things, and his sacred forest of Valenwood. In exchange he would make it their home forever, and bestow upon them all of his choicest gifts.

This mythical agreement is known as the Green Pact, and remains the highest code of the Bosmeri faith and society, having a visible impact on every aspect of life in Valenwood. The exact terms of the Green Pact are not readily discussed with outsiders, and so many conflicting accounts exist. Generally speaking, however, the Bosmer are forbidden from harming any plant life, from the mightiest tree to the smallest weed. The felling of trees by anyone is a crime against the Bosmeri religion.

One of Y’ffre’s most dangerous secrets was the Wild Hunt. He taught the Bosmer how to undo his first great work and return to the dawn time when elves were beasts and men and plants all at once. In times of great need – typically in case of invasion and war – groups of Bosmer may choose to carry out the ancient and highly secretive ritual to permanently transform themselves into primordial beasts. The Hunt typically manages to direct itself towards the enemy and throw itself against them with a fury rare in the most ferocious beasts. There is no way to undo this terrible transformation, say the Bosmer – those that go wild do not return. Usually, when the Hunt has overrun the enemies of the Bosmer, the changed ones turn on each other, ripping each other apart in what is reportedly the most horrifying stage of the process. Those that survive go on to haunt the dark places of Valenwood as ageless monstrosities, the most famous examples being Willy the Bitten and King Dead-Wolf Deer.

The Bosmer are not proud of this ability, and typically refuse to speak of it with outsiders. Indeed, it is seen as an ultimate last resort, for when desperate measures must be taken to defend Valenwood and the Bosmer. Certainly the sacrifices are great.

The Meat Mandate, seen by some as a separate agreement, and others as a “clause” of the Green Pact, forbids the consumption of plant matter, even naturally fallen fruit, and, most shockingly to outsiders, obligates the Bosmer to consume in entirety any fallen enemy, with the help of only his or her family. The Bosmer then, are not only religiously carnivorous, but religiously cannibalistic; they will happily eat any natural being (although Daedra and the undead appear to be exceptions to the Meat Mandate), regardless of its sentience or other qualities. Men, elves and beastfolk are all acceptable foodstuffs to the Bosmer. It is important to note, however, that once again precise details are somewhat scarce. Certain cultural practices seem to suggest that the flesh of fallen foes (as well as parts generally considered inedible) may be kept, or given as gifts even outside of the immediate family. It could well be that the Bosmeri understanding of “family” is too different from our own to be translate properly, and that it can therefore refer to one’s clan, tribe, or even race.

In the late Third Era, a Bosmeri prophet known only as the “Precursor” rose to prominence. He foretold the return of Y’ffre, with new gifts for his favoured people, and this promise has since become ingrained in the Bosmeri faith. What exactly it means is completely unknown to Imperial scholars and even, it would appear, to the Bosmer themselves, but the Precursor’s teachings have presented the first significant shift in the Bosmeri religion since the adoption of Z’en in the First or Second Era.

The Tree-Sap People: Bosmeri Society

Understandably, the Green Pact can pose many unusual problems for the Bosmer. Most societies take for granted the availability of wood for building and crafts, and numerous plants for food, fabric, paper, and countless other purposes, as well as the ability to cut down troublesome greenery to build or expand roads and settlements. The (in)famous Second Era scholar, Eric of Guis, scathingly described the Bosmer as “improvident”, but little could be further from the truth. The Bosmer have Green Pact alternatives for almost every use of wood and plant matter: plant fabrics are replaced by leather and silk, wood with bone, imported timber, or stone, alcoholic beverages are brewed from milk and meat, even pipes can be filled with crushed insects and animal fats.

The history of Bosmeri society has in some ways been a long list of innovations to follow the Green Pact, which they follow to the letter but no further. But there is of course far more to it than that. Bosmeri society and culture differ significantly from the Aldmeri traditions kept alive in Alinor, with the Bosmer having shed most of the formality and ceremony from daily life. Unlike the Altmer, the Bosmer have little concern for their place in society or the wider world, preferring to live in simple harmony with the forest, carrying out their trade and enjoying their lives. To an extent, the Boiche consider themselves “liberated” and are prone to unbridled revelry and debauchery. One great difference between the Altmer and Bosmer is the willingness of the latter to intermingle, even interbreed, with men, and those of “impure” blood. The Altmeri Monomyth accuses the Bosmer of “soiling time’s line by taking mannish wives”, and certainly most Bosmer will not deny the human streaks in their lineage.

This generally relaxed attitude extends into many areas of Bosmeri culture. In battle, for instance, the Bosmer show no interest in “glory” or “honour” as defined by most races of men and mer. They will not hesitate to exploit any method of self-preservation, and are infamous for desertion and poor discipline. For a time Bosmeri archers, the finest in Tamriel, were employed in the armies of Colovia, but they were too unreliable for the Cyrodiilic warlords, prone to vanishing into the nearest copse or brush when in danger. For this reason, the Bosmer are often admonished by other cultures for being cowardly or underhand, but such criticisms rarely seem to have any effect. The Boiche see no shame in putting survival first; their greatest epic poem is entitled the “Meh Ayleidoon”, “The One-Thousand Benefits of Hiding”.

Within Valenwood, Bosmer society is largely divided into various clans, tribes, and familial groups. Traditionally, it is to these that an individual Bosmer owes most pride and allegiance, and at various times tribes have gone to war with each other. Eplear was ever truly able to unify these disparate clans under one banner, and even this banner has lost much of its prestige without its original bearer.

This familial and insular lifestyle means that most traditional Bosmeri settlements are small and isolated — sometimes no more than a single building. These settlements will be largely self-sufficient, feeding themselves through hunting and fishing, and acquiring any essentials the forest doesn’t provide from the nearest settlement that does, or else from the riverboats which sail back and forth across the province.

Bosmeri society is almost totally lacking in rigid structures or expectations, and many outside observers are shocked to find the number of Bosmer with no apparent “job” or “occupation”. In the clanhouses and villages in particular, there are Bosmer who appear to carry out no predetermined function, instead roaming the forest at random or engaging in whatever task catches their interest. For the most part, a wilderness Bosmer’s main daily task will be hunting for his clan or family, but there is always time for some creative pursuit, or even to simply lie in the forest. In the cities, of course, more defined roles are necessary in order to succeed. There Bosmer act as shopkeepers, publicans, “builders”, musicians, butchers, and most any other jobs one might find in an Imperial or Altmeri city. Jobs of particular value include tanners, leatherworkers, craftsmer, bowyers and fletchers, as it is they who produce Valenwood’s most valuable exports.

Leather is essential for the Bosmer, fulfilling a multitude of roles in compliance with the Green Pact — everything from clothes to building materials. Naturally, the Bosmer have, as a result, become quite skilled in its manufacture and use, and so Bosmeri leather and leather products can fetch high prices in foreign markets. Bows and arrows are similarly paramount in Bosmeri culture. The Boiche are renowned for their archery, and even credited with the invention of the bow, and so it is perhaps understandable that Tamriel’s archers pay highly for Valenwood bows. The Green Pact means that Bosmeri bows and arrows are typically made from bone or chitin, but may also be crafted from imported wood.

The dextrous and imaginative elves have also shown themselves to be talented craftsmer. Their love of the beautiful and the unique produces a great many unique artefacts, as well as traditional Bosmeri crafts: beads of shell, bone, pearls and beaks, talismans made from mages’ knucklebones, bone pipes and carvings, and innumerable others.

Besides their hands, the Bosmer use their minds and mouths to great creative effect. Y’ffre is, as well as the God of the Forest, the Storyteller, and a patron of bards, and his people have a long tradition of poetry, song and performance. Epic poems like the Meh Ayleidion, the Mnoriad Pley Bar, the Dansir Goland and the Dirith Yalmillhiad are the milestones of Bosmeri culture, describing key events, myths and legends of the Bosmer from the Merethic Era onwards. These works provide another interesting contrast with the Altmer, whose cultural treasures include songs, paintings and tapestries to be experienced and sampled rarely and with refined tastes. The Bosmeri poems, on the other hand, are sung, told aloud, or performed by actors on a regular basis for the entertainment of the clan. Bosmeri villages and clanhouses will typically be alive with song and laughter, and in the cities impressive displays and festivals are common.

Outside of Valenwood, the Boiche are known (especially by their fellow mer) for various cultural “eccentricities”. Unlike the famously insular, some would say xenophobic, Altmer and Dunmer, the Bosmer are welcoming in the extreme, or were until the closure of Valenwood’s borders by the Dominion. Traditionally, it was not uncommon to see all manner of foreigners – men, mer, even Orcs – living alongside the Bosmer in their cities. The local beastfolk, of which there are a great many (Centaurs, Satyrs, and Imga to name but a few) are similarly well-integrated, seemingly experiencing little prejudice or ostracism in Bosmeri society.