Ayleid Missive: Falmeris is Fallen

The following is a letter from an Ayelid Noble to his brother, the Dynast of Rielle, detailing an expedition to Falmeris(Skyrim) a few years after the arrival of Ysgramor and his Companions.

Most Esteemed Dynast and Brother,

Our worst fears have been surpassed a thousand times over. Falmeris is fallen, to none other than Men.

While crossing the border, the settlements we found were thinly peopled, and even then only with wounded refugees. They will not survive the winter if the heartland does not take them in.

As we forged northward, we saw nothing but horror and atrocities. Entire fields burnt, towns razed to the ground, shrines and temples left in ruins.

On the fourth day we encountered the monsters that brought about such evils, men. These were not the weak and stupid beasts that we harness for labor. They were massive, brutish things, wielding giant weapons and freezing magics. They killed ten of my soldiers, and would have killed much more if not for the timely intervention of a group of Falmer paladins.

The holy warriors led us to the City of Siluras, where we witnessed the greatest atrocity yet. The city's spires were festooned with the corpses of the fallen, uncounted numbers of buzzards filled the sky. The walls had been blown apart by some great force (like the magics of our legends). Worst of all, The Mosaic Palace had been torn to the ground. And in its place, a massive stone arch had been erected. One of the paladins said that it was the temple of the heathen men, where their mad priests beat sacrificial victims to death with stone pillars. I could not bear to look upon the fallen city for long, especially the arch, which made my head feel as if it were about to burst.

We picked up a group of starving survivors later that evening. Most would not speak of what they had endured, but one of the youths made the outrageous claim that the savages had the aid of dragons. Of course, this was pure foolishness. Our Great Auri-El would never aid the races of men, especially not with His own children. All Mer know that Auri-El holds our culture and sophistication in highest regard, His kin would never side with creatures that know only force and destruction, such things are beneath them.

I fear that I have yet to see the full extent of the devastation of Falmeris. Regardless, we must take on as many of our kinsmer as we can and seal the border to the north, lest these man-beasts swarm into the Heartland.

Your brother and servant,

Sarmas