Bloody Blackreach

Of Ancient Magicks, Power Immeasurable and Deeds most Foul

– A consolidated theory on the fall of the Falmer race using recently surfaced information, notably the research of Prof Katria (posthumously awarded) and her cohort, information that has surfaced during the recent Vampire Crisis, The Aetherium Wars by Taron Dreth and the always invaluable The Falmer: A study by Ursa Uthrax.

Complied by scholars of the Imperial University, led by Vaelkyr Vicir — 4E 201.

Long have the enigmatic races of Dwemer and Falmer both fascinated and confused Imperial Historians. The total and sudden disappearance of the Dwemer, leaving nothing behind but their strange (and often deadly) machines has made research difficult. Coupled with the fact that almost no written records have survived, and those that have are an extensive challenge to decipher and translate has left us very much in the dark about these strange “deep elves”.

Ironically, it has been revelations about an even less understood race, thought pure fantasy until recent times, — the Falmer or “snow elves” that has shone a light on the Dwemer and exposed some very dark and very ugly truths about this advanced and powerful race.

Firstly some background, whilst we will not address the bloody massacre at Sarthaal during the “Night of Tears”, nor the reasoning’s behind that- we will let our esteemed colleagues deal with that little mystery- It is important to note it as the beginning of the end for the Falmer Civilisation. Ysgramor survived Sarthaal and returned with his 500 Companions to drive the elves from Skyrim. As told in Lokheim’s “Fall of the Snow Prince” they succeeded, shattering the Falmer and driving the few that remained by that time into hiding.

The Falmer were thought lost to time, either exterminated in the war or simply faded away for countless centuries, until the esteemed Ursa Uthrax uncovered a much darker fate which he published in The Falmer: A Study, currently the most extensive work of knowledge on the Falmer race.

They did not die, though I’m sure many wished they had. Ursa discovered that the remaining Falmer had fled into the great underground caverns of Blackreach, seeking shelter with their cousins the Dwemer or ‘deep elves’. The Dwemer did grant that protection, but at a horrible cost- the Falmer were fed poisoned mushrooms that grow in Blackreach which eventually drove them blind, not just the first generation, but every generation after that, until the Falmer lost all sight to the darkness. The Dwemer were cruel taskmasters, using the crippled Falmer as slaves until the eventual rebellion known as the “War of the Crag”.

There is no doubt in this scholars mind that during this time Blackreach served as a prison, laboratory, and work camp all rolled into one. The convenience it offered the Dwemer with a slave workforce accessible at any part of the empire, its secure location, easy availability of the poisoned mushrooms that enforced their hold on the Falmer , and its close proximity to the mines (which will be addressed in a later section) would have turned the dark beauty of Blackreach into a den of pain and horror for the survivors of the Falmer race.

But there is another side to this story, the Dwemer.

Recent discoveries by the late Prof Katria (posthumously decorated) and the scholar Taron Dreth, have uncovered a great deal of information about the Dwemer Empire in Skyrim at this point in history. Katria’s research points to a loose confederation of Dwemer states, Arkngthamz, Bthar-zel (though this may be an outpost of the larger nearby Bthardamz), Raldbthar and Mzulft, working on a joint project at Bthalft. It appears that such alliances to work towards large technological advances were not uncommon, however it also appears that this alliance did not last. What the Dwemer discovered was so powerful they went to war with each other all seeking to wrest the ultimate power for themselves.

What as this power? Aetherium, a rare and power substance that could be used to created immensely powerful magical artifacts. This scholar has personally laid eyes upon one such artifact, forged with the last remaining Aetherium by a cohort of the late Prof Katria, a gleaming crown inset with Glowing milky blue orbs that shine from some vast internal power.

By now I’m sure you as the reader are wondering, what does all this talk of Falmer, Dwemer and Aetherium have to do with each other?

Everything.

The Aetherium was mined deep within the Blackreach, at the same time as it was being used as a slave camp for Falmer. It is only logical to conclude that Falmer slaves would have been used to mine what was reportedly a “harmonically volatile substance”. Dwemer technology, whislt impressive, would have been little surprise to the magically powerful Falmer, hardly a prize worth going to extreme measures to protect. But Aetherium? A substance so precious and powerful the Dwemer would wage war upon themselves for its control? Now that is something to murder for.

It is this scholar’s assertion that the Falmer were blinded to protect not secrets of Dwemer technology as is commonly believed, but that they were blinded for the sole purpose of concealing the secret of Aetherium! That the Falmer, kept penned as slaves within the Blackreach were used to mine the potentially dangerous material from the deep caves and that the Dwemer systematically poisoned the entire Falmer race, perhaps even with the intent of total genocide, to protect their powerful discovery. Some of my associates have even speculated the rather morbid possibility that, with Blackreach being rich in raw soul gems, and Dwemer animunculi requiring charged soul gems to operate, the Falmer could have served as… dare I say it a sacrificial power source.

The sad remnants of the Falmer were only saved by civil war within the Dwemer alliance, granting them the chance to break free and stage a rebellion, the “War of the Crag”. A war which raged through the dark underneath until the day the Dwemer simply vanished.

A grim tale indeed, but there is one more thing that must be considered, the Falmer were used as slaves within the deep mines to gather raw Aetherium, - during the Dwemer civil war, and subsequent Falmer rebellion they fled “into the deeper caves”, denying Dwemer entry. It is possible that deep within the Blackreach raw untouched Aetherium may still be found!

A stretch to be sure, but this scholar feels an expedition to search for any possible remaining Aetherium deposits is worth the not insubstantial risks and should be conducted with utmost haste.

– Prof Vaelkyr Vicir and associated scholars of the Imperial University – 4E 201

Addendum: Discussions with the honoured Quintus Umbranox, Researcher at the Synod reguarding timelines seem to reinforce this theory. With the Aetherium Wars beginning circa 1e 222-225 (around the death of High King Harald) with the creation of the Aetherium Forge, and the sudden collapse of the Dwemer Empire in Skyrim before High King Gellir’s forces several decades later it is likely that the extended Civil war coupled with the Falmer “breakout” contributed heavily to the unexpected Nord Victory. This would place the beggining in of the War of the Crag circa 1e 250- 260.

That the Dwemer never experimented with Aetherium again in the ~450years till their disappearance and the chances of Dwemer walking away from a power source willingly are zero to none indicates that there was likely an external force preventing them form accessing the raw Aetherium. In this case the Falmer “rebels”. As Quintus Umbranox also pointed out, a 450 year underground war would also explain the Falmers change form relative peace to insane savagery, and the reason the Dwemer in Skyrim were significantly behind technologicaly speaking compared to thier Vvardenfell compatriots.