Homebrew Altimer Species Details

Biology

As a race, some Altmer strive to maintain the appearance of their ancestor race, the Aldmer, primarily through highly selective traditions surrounding marriage and reproduction. They are among the tallest of the humanoid races, taller than most humans and much taller than other mer. Their skin maintains a very pale gold hue, not quite the pale white of the northern human races such as Nords or Bretons, but far lighter than the Bosmer. They are slender, with prominently pointed ears and almond-shaped eyes that can be amber, green, or yellow. Altmer are among the most intelligent and magically-inclined races on Nirn, surpassing even the Bretons in magical aptitude. High Elves are well known for their noble countenance, and are arrogant or disdainful more often than not when addressing humans.

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Fourth era history

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The Great War

__ Between the Oblivion Crisis and Dragon Crisis, the Mede Empire is attacked by the Aldmeri Dominion, an alliance of Elves, comprised mainly of the Altmer and their Bosmer allies. The Empire saved itself only by negotiating the White-Gold Concordat, a treaty which seems to heavily favor the Dominion, though there were great casualties on both sides. The Elves' ruling government, the Thalmor, are Elven supremacists determined to end the dominance of man and the Empire as a whole. They also call the Great War the "First War with the Empire."

The While-Gold Concordat

__ The White-Gold Concordat enables the Thalmor to move freely throughout the Empire and to suppress the worship of the Man-God Talos. Resentment toward the Altmer, and toward the Empire for surrendering to them, runs rampant in the proud Nords of Skyrim.

Presence in Skyrim

__ Many of the Altmer encountered emigrated from the Summerset Isles to become Alchemists, Enchanters, and mages in Skyrim. Others became members of the College of Winterhold, due to their innate magical abilities. Another potential possibility is that during the rise of the Thalmor, many Altmer with strong loyalty to the Empire fled the Summerset Isles to escape the new Aldmeri Dominion. Even so, the Stormcloaks still show prejudice to the Altmer, though on a much lesser scale than their Dunmeri cousins from Morrowind.

After the signing of the White-Gold Concordat, Altmeri presence in Skyrim have increased considerably, mostly in the form of Thalmor soldiers and Justiciars. They explicitly outlaw the worship of Talos and thus have angered a majority of Skyrim's denizens. The fact that people are being taken out of their homes or off the streets by the Thalmor with little to no evidence of actual Talos worship indicates that the reason of stamping out Talos worship may just be a front, with the

real intention of sabotage and/or demoralization.

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Culture

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Origins and identity

__ The Altmer are one of the oldest races on Tamriel, one of the earliest descendants of the original mer race of Aldmer, and from there, through the Ehlnofey to the divine et'Ada themselves. As a race, they are extremely proud of their Aldmeri heritage, and make a concerted effort to maintain their genetic lineage. Their name translates from the Aldmeri language as High Ones or Cultured Ones. For their part, the Altmer argue that they are the first true culture on Tamriel, and still the most civilized race, an argument that even human scholars find difficult to refute.

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Homeland

__ The Altmer primarily live in the province of Summerset Isle, a large island off the southwest coast of Tamriel, which shares a border with Valenwood. According to their histories, their Aldmeri ancestors arrived on Summerset Isle after fleeing the catastrophic sinking of their original home continent, Aldmeris. From here, splinter groups of Aldmer spread throughout Tamriel, but the Altmer remained on the Isles, acting as the nominal head of the empire of meri nations on Tamriel. For most of the Merethic Era, the other races of elves on Tamriel acknowledged the Altmeri king as their own ruler, a practice which persisted until the founding of the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood marked the start of the First Era and the beginning of the decline of Altmer-dominated Tamriel. Their influence is still felt across the continent, however, as their culture forms the basis for the religion, language, and even architecture of the Cyrodiilic Empire.

 

 

Altimer Traits

Your Altimer character has some qualities in common with elves and some that are unique to half-elves.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Age

Half-elves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 20. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 180 years.

Alignment

Half-elves share the chaotic bent of their elven heritage. They value both personal freedom and creative expression, demonstrating neither love of leaders nor desire for followers. They chafe at rules, resent others’ demands, and sometimes prove unreliable, or at least unpredictable.

Size

Half-elves are about the same size as humans, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Thanks to your elf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Skill Versatility

You gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and one extra language of your choice.