Imperial Field Guide to Combating Enemies of the Empire. Volume 2: The Altmer

Welcome soldiers to the second volume of the Imperial Field Guide. In this volume we will be covering the golden skinned Elves from Alinor, previously known as the Summerset Isles. The Altmer, or High Elves, are one of the primary threats against the Empire as I'm sure you know. The Great War is still fresh on our minds and we must be prepared for another conflict. The High Elves might act high and mighty but they are often undone by their own arrogance.

First, we will begin with the armor of the Altmer. Although known for their magical prowess in battle, their warriors pride themselves with wielding some of the finest weapons and armors, all crafted with extraordinary elegance. Although a High Elves armor is flashy, it is also practical and strong in combat. Their armor is crafted from exotic ores and minerals, often as complex and convoluted as themselves. Even the lowest of the Altmer turn up their noses at iron, steel, and other materials used by the less sophisticated mainland races. The most notable of these materials is glass made from the collection of resins and volcanic deposits. These glass weapons are robust, well weighted, milky green in color, and elegant in form. However, these weapons require constant maintenance and precise sharpening to maintain the quality of the blade. The Summerset Isles holds a vast wealth of mostly crystalline minerals mostly used to enhance the beauty of the Altmer arms and armor. Many of the elven armaments are crafted with stylized eagle wings and heads, dazzling with glass details. The High Elf does not hunt wild beasts for the grip or trim of their armor, rather using specially bred creatures to provide the sturdiest grips to finish the already astonishing Altmeri craftsmanship. Many of the High Elves arms and armor are forged to match their own likeness: long, elegant, and often gold in color.

The High Elf warriors use these melee weapons to astounding effect on the battlefield. An Altmer's reach will pose a problem to any soldier. To counter this, move in close and use their height and reach to your advantage. The closer you get to these elves the higher chance of victory you will have. Many High Elves take after their race's name and wield their arrogance almost as much as their blade which can be their undoing if you know how to play off of it and deliver strikes they would not expect from their supposed lesser. Often times they will not respect an opponents swordsmanship and as a result let their shield droop low to the ground leaving them open to a swift thrust into the armor's chinks near the armpit. If the elf is wielding a great sword and has no hands left to wield a shield, go on the aggressive offensive. Do not give them time to swing their blade and instead press close to them and use your smaller weapon to your advantage. Be warned that at a distance these elves will outreach you by several inches and even more if wielding a two handed sword or battleaxe. If you cannot close the gap it is often better to yield ground to your opponent instead of trying to deflect a blow from one of their ornate warhammers.

Although Altmeri archers do not garner much fame compared to their Bosmeri cousins, they are not to be taken lightly. Archers from the isles can hit gaps in your armor from more than 100 paces if left to their own devices, forcing you to deal with them one way or another. While the winged bows of the Altmer are accurate, they lack the ability to fire at high rates, making them more and more benign as you move closer to the bowman. The archer themselves may be well taught in their craft of archery, they often disregard training in the other fields, making them easy opponents in melee combat. Although they are often well guarded by the more stout High Elven warriors, it is not impossible to disrupt them on the battlefield. The elven archers are often few in number, albeit highly skilled, making them key targets for our own archers and battlemages.

Where the Altmer really excel are in the magical arts. The wizards and battlemages of the Summerset Isles are known to be unparallelled in their prowess on and off the battlefield. When a Altmeri wizard is sighted on the field of war, be wary. These mages are capable of decimating enemy troops if they are bunched together too tightly. Try to put space between you and your comrades if you can so that you all cannot fall victim to a single fireball or swirling storm of ice and destruction. Call out to your archers to focus their attention on the wizard and if you're lucky he will catch an arrow with his throat. If the archers fail and you are faced with combating this menace with only your swords and shields cast the latter aside as it will be no defense against the terrible power of the magic they wield. Most of these battlemages will be adorned in cloth robes or leather jerkins as to not weigh them down and restrict their use of magicka. This is their biggest weakness that you can exploit. If you manage to strike them with any sort of reasonable force they will be critically wounded if not killed given the strike's location. Note that these Altmer will not only employ the school of destruction, but all others as well. Do not fall so easily into their illusionist traps and be wary of any summoned monstrosities they might conjure.

The High Elves of Alinor not only prove worthy foes in the physical aspect of battle, but also tactically as well. We must remember that they did not win the Great War with might alone. The Altmer are tightly regimented and disciplined on the field of battle. Their lines do not easily falter and they are not easily routed. Often their forces will be arranged so that the melee fighters make up the front line ahead of their archers, with the fearsome mages bringing up the rear in the most protected positions. The most common formation is made up by two score heavily armored fighters in the front followed by a dozen archers behind. Most of these groups are lead by the battlemage who not only is well versed in the art of warfare, but is commonly educated in tactics, making them the single most valuable fighters in the Altmeri war machine. Disable these mages and the elves will not only suffer a major loss of might, but also leadership.

The Altmer may be a formidable foe but they are not unbeatable. Their haughty arrogance and their false sense of superiority leads them to underestimate their opponents. They may be our most recent foe but they are not our greatest. Our glorious Empire has overcome greater obstacles and been made better for it. Be prepared to use this advice in the coming years, for our conflicts with these elves are far from over.