Who We Are (Thalmor propaganda in Elsweyr)

Proud and noble people of the Twin Kingdoms! Ri’Qajir has been made aware that many of you are fearful of changes our homeland is undergoing. “We are slaves to Thalmor” you say. “Our culture is being washed away” you say. Nothing could be further from the truth, no, I say it is only now that we regain our true heritage, which was buried under the sands for so long time.

Ours were the fertile shores of Aldmeris. We lived among its bountiful fields and shady groves, in cities of shimmering crystal that knew no pest or disease. We lived happy and strong because we knew who we are. But a cataclysm of Doom Drum’s devising befell our homeland and forced us to flee. In confusion, we split our ways. Some of us found refuge in the Summerset Isle and called themselves Altmer. Some of us hid in the forests and called themselves Bosmer. Some of us dug holes underground and called themselves Dwemer. Finally, some of us were carried with currents to where the burning deserts and poisonous jungles were. We stayed there, suffering in dignity, like our ancestors taught us. But in time, the scorching sun made us forget our past and we found a new future.

That is how we were found by the Sons of Lorkhaj, who came from the North with blood of mer on their hands.

They said among themselves „The Khajiit are strong and smart and swift and durable. They live in harmony with their land and have power over droughts and monsoons. We must sand their eyes and cloud their minds, for if they remember who they are, they will surely rise and destroy us.” And they attacked with iron golems and with flying dragons and with magical fires. We were defeated because we forgot who we are.

And they said “Let the Warriors of Anequina be consumed by discord, quarrel constantly and raid pastures of their neighbors, each attack creating new grudges to be avenged. Then we will be safe from their wrath.”

And they said “Let the Merchants of Pellitine be consumed by greed, sell off fruit of their land to foreigners and exploit their citizens with tax, usury and skooma trafficking. Then their riches will work in our benefit.”

And they said “Great are their ancestors. Let us trick them into abandoning their memory and give them the corpse of our god to worship.” With their dark magicks, they bound our form to the Lunar Lattice, transforming us in the likeness of beasts. Those, who they used as warsteeds, slowly lost their minds and are now no different from animals. To control others, they set up the Mane so he would sip poison into our ears.

Eventually, all of Tamriel fell to their onslaught. They ruled over us for many centuries, until, in their hubris, they became decadent and weak, weak enough for the spark of rebellion to ignite. That spark came from the Summerset Isle, which alone had been keeping the traditions of the Aldmer. The High Elves came to us bearing gifts, freeing us from the terrible darkness of Lorkhaj. They asked of us only one thing – joining them in restoring the greatness of Aldmeris. They build schools, where our youths learn calligraphy and arithmetic. They build hospitals, where medics treat diseases that used to fell us by thousands. They build libraries filled with knowledge that we have lost, with memories of our past, with memories of who we really are.

We are Sons of Alkosh. We are Aldmer. Time is coming when Altmer, Bosmer and Khajiit will join forces in the final battle against the evil of Lorkhaj. And this time… this time we will prevail.

— Ri’Qajir di Rashi, Grandmaster of House Hegemer and representative of the Twin Kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine in Thalmor