Today I learned the "Buoyant Armiger" motif was originally intended to be the altmer style.

psychotrip

This is random, I know, but I always love sharing anything that illustrates the awesome superiority of the master race.

We all remember the weird, alien glass gear from both iterations of Morrowind (TES:III and ESO). In ESO, it's called the "Buoyant armiger" style, and I always assumed it was a dunmeri version of traditional malachite armor.






Well, as we all know a ton of stuff about the ES universe was retconned in between Morrowind and Oblivion, especially when it comes to the altmer. In the current canon, this motif is of buoyant armiger origin, but did you know that all this weird looking gear was intended to represent the altmer?

Take a look at the game data for Morrowind, or ask a smith in-game, and you'll get an interesting piece of dialogue:

"Raw glass is similar to raw ebony, but less well-known. Ebony is jet black, while glass is a milky translucent green. Less durable, but much lighter and more flexible than ebony, glass is used primarily to make the distinctive, elegant glass armors and weapons of High Elven design."

"These light and elegant weapons of High Elven design feature extravagant use of rare metals and cutting edges made from rare crystalline materials. Duelists and assassins appreciate the delicate balance and sinister sharpness of glass weapons."

If the glass armor we see in Morrowind was supposed to represent the altmer, it makes me wonder just how strange their homeland and culture were originally intended to be. I would have loved to see a "Morrowind era" intepretation of the Summerset isles, full of weird crystals and weirder clothing.

So yeah, I had no real point to sharing that. Just thought it was a cool tidbit for anyone curious about how the lore has changed over the years.

Greifenherz

I thought it was pretty well known that glass armor is of Altmer culture. At least I had no doubt about it in Oblivion. I thought the Buoyant Armiger style was the Dunmer's take on the same raw material. After all Altmer don't have an exclusivity clause to the resource.

psychotrip

Greifenherz wrote: »

I thought it was pretty well known that glass armor is of Altmer culture. At least I had no doubt about it in Oblivion. I thought the Buoyant Armiger style was the Dunmer's take on the same raw material. After all Altmer don't have an exclusivity clause to the resource.

Well yeah I'm not saying the idea that glass being altmer armor is new, but that specifically the morrowind / buoyant armiger version was designed by them as well. The glass armor and weapons we use in Morrowind were never intended to be dunmeri in shape or design. That's what altmer gear was originally supposed to look like

Aliyavana

I believe morrowind was where the first incarnation of glass was created so I believe glass was made to be an altmer material later

psychotrip

aliyavana wrote: »

I believe morrowind was where the first incarnation of glass was created so I believe glass was made to be an altmer material later

That's not what the dialogue in Morrowind says though. See the quote above.

Aliyavana

psychotrip wrote: »

aliyavana wrote: »

I believe morrowind was where the first incarnation of glass was created so I believe glass was made to be an altmer material later

That's not what the dialogue in Morrowind says though. See the quote above.

If that's the case I'm glad that the arminger style became dunmers glass armor style and altmer looks more bird oriented as I prefer dunmer glass while altmer is pretty on its own way