Interview with a Falmer

Author's note: I was part of a research team into the Dwemer ruin of Mzulft, near Riften, when one of our guards managed to incapacitate a Falmer without killing it. Knowing the importance of our research, he brought the pitiful creature to me. Through use of a clever spell of my own devising, I was able to induce an effect where my words to him sounded like his language, and his to me sounded like mine. A transcript follows.

Hello? Can you understand me?

A topcave dweller with speech? Yes. I can understand you. Why have you not killed me?

Topcave? Is that what you call the surface?

Surface? Is that your name for it? Strange. I walked the topcave once - trying to find a way to the ceiling. I climbed as high as I could once I found the walls, but it only got colder and colder.

Interesting. I am curious, but how do you cope without vision? Many species naturally lack eyes, but you are a different case.

Vision?

Yes... sight?

I don't know what you mean.

Ah.. I see. Never mind. In my travels through your caves, I have frequently found unnecessary torches and fires; why would a species which lacks vision need these?

To find our way.

But... how? If you cannot see, then..

I don't know what you mean. We feel warmth on skin, we know the tunnel is at hand. We feel greater warmth, we know we have reached the camp.

Ingenious. It seems your mental faculties haven't diminished as badly as many have assumed. But now, onto the serious questions. Why do you kill any surface dwellers who venture into your caves?

Because of your crimes. The topcaves were ours once. You cast us out. They are our birthright.

So, some cultural memories of the old Snow Elves survive. What of the Dwemer? Do you know anything about their disappearance?

The what?

The ones who enslaved you, who built the ruins you dwell in. The ruins we sit in in this very moment.

The Masters of the Cold Metal? We don't know. Our loremasters say they all vanished one day. More then that, I cannot say.

Disappointing. What of the gods? Do you still hold Auri-El, Trinimac, and the rest of the old pantheon?

I don't know these gods. We worship unintelligible.

Who?

Unintelligible - the Prince of Knowledge.

Hermaeus Mora? Why?

For the cure.

The cure to what?

We don't know. Our oldest tales say that the old gods betrayed us, and fought with the topcave dwellers when we were cast down here, and that they never came to our aid when the Masters of the Cold Metal enslaved us. When they vanished, our wisest began to worship our new Lord, looking for a cure. Maybe there was some plague, I don't know.

I see. Do you have anything else to say?

Nothing to the likes of you.

Very well. Harvok, please dispose of this creature.